USA/UK
The US edition of The Sun website this week features Julian Stone, MD of UK’s American Dry Cleaners, on “Waging ‘holey’ war on moths” advising readers on remedies ranging from lavender to vinegar to prevent the pesky varmints ruining clothes. It appears that moths have been feasting on formal attire left to languish in wardrobes during the pandemic.
According to Stone, the pests have had “carte blanche” to a moth banquet while many of us have been working from home.“Pre-Covid, customers would bring in garments with one or two holes, but now they are are sometimes akin to a Swiss cheese.” And he says that demand for the firm’s re-weaving surface, which uses threads from a hidden part of clothing to mend a hole, has shot up by 80%.
Meanwhile, reports The US Sun, the National Trust’s annual pest review has found an 11 per cent increase in insects, including moths and silverfish, which have thrived in closed properties.
In the past, people used moth balls to rid their homes of the pest but naphthalene, which was trationally used in mothballs has been banned in the EU since 2008, so now more natural methods are advised.
“So what can you do to prevent these critters ruining your best togs?” asks the US Sun. Well there a host of remedies which include
· Send items that can’t withstand a hot watch to the dry cleaners, or freeze them. Moth eggs and larvae can’t survive very cold temperatures.
· If you have a problem with moths after cleaning all your clothes, use diluted vinegar to clean the wardrobe. Moths can’t tolerate the acid in the vinegar.
· Make your own repellent by putting dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, lavender or bay leaves in cloth bags and placing them in your chest of drawers.
Read the full story here
