Moth damage can be recognised from visual examination; look for the following:
- A moth hole is created solely by removal of parts of the yarns by the tiny grub of the clothes moth, which munches hungrily on the protein in animal hair fibres to support its growth.
- This distinguishes it from, say, a puncture accident with a sharp point or a cut from a knife, neither of which remove fibre.
- It also differentiates it from a simple tear, which usually distorts the weave or knit but which also does not remove any fibre.
- Examination under slight magnification (using the magnifier app on your smartphone) should reveal fibre ends of the damaged yarns to have a ‘bitten off’ appearance, rather than the tapered and frayed end associated with a tear, or the chemically degraded end produced by a small splash of acid (for example), or even the blackened end made by a burn from a cigarette or hot ash.
- In polyester/wool fabrics, common in men’s and women’s clothing, the moth grub will only go for the wool fibres leaving the polyester yarns intact and unaffected in the damaged area adding further confirmation to the cause of hole.
You should examine the hole with the customer and compare it with the photos shown.
The hole may only be visible after cleaning because the grub of the clothes moth tends to create plenty of debris, forming a layer of lint in and around the hole, concealing both the tiny grub and the hole itself. It is only when the cleaning action of the solvent wash flushes away the lint and any other loose material that the hole becomes starkly visible, ruining the garment appearance.
Could the moth damage have originated in the drycleaner’s storage or processing? This is extremely unlikely, because common drycleaning solvents kill the insects and their grubs in the drycleaning machine process and the premises are generally moth free for this reason. Also, it takes the tiny grub a long while to hatch from its egg and create a hole large enough to be seen with the naked eye, so the cleaner is very unlikely to be the person at fault here. Moth damage is the result of storage in an unprotected drawer, wardrobe or cupboard.
Moth damage is prevented by putting moth repellent into drawers and cupboards used to store any protein fibre garment (that is those made from wool, silk, cashmere, mohair or angora). Given a choice, the female moth will often lay its eggs in the most expensive garment available, perhaps choosing robust silk fabric or cashmere over lambswool, for example. This could be because the more expensive yarns are frequently degraded the least by chemical processing in manufacture, making them a more attractive place for the mother moth to lay her eggs.
The strongest common moth repellent is naphthalene, and this is the primary constituent of proprietary moth balls, although these give a strong odour to the drawer or wardrobe, which many customers find repugnant. A very good alternative is cedar wood and many cleaners stock inexpensive cedar wood balls, which have a very low, quite pleasant odour and which can be tucked neatly inside the drawer or hung in the wardrobe.
The customer can get a second opinion if there is still any doubt in their minds; many customers do not respect the cleaner’s explanation, even when faced with the evidence described. One respected body is Drycleaning Technology Centre (www.dtc-ltd.com ) in Bradford, UK, which has a strong reputation for impartiality. Many leading cleaners offer to pay for the report and analysis if they are found at fault, in addition to offering compensation in line with the Fair Claims Guide, which was originally published by the UK Textile Services Association (TSA) some years ago. This bases compensation on the current purchase price, less allowance for age and pre-cleaning condition. The Guide offers examples of compensation for many common types of articles of various ages and was prepared in conjunction with the Institute of Loss Adjusters. The Guide does not recommend compensation based on today’s price for a brand new item.
