Yikes!! Moths in my Kilt Kloset!!

[Bugbear]

In case they haven't yet figured it out, I am a vengeful god.

Yeah, admittedly small-g, but the moths don't know that.

Perhaps the Aztec goddess Itzpapalotl...

And yes, I had to look it up; I only remembered something about a bat goddess.

[sydnie7]

Your moths sound like "pantry moths" which if I understand correctly is a catch-all term for several varieties. We have them in droves, inherited when we moved into this rental house. Certain level of control through traps (get 'em in bulk through Amazon) which fold into a triangle with sticky surface and small chemical lure inside. They likely feed on your parrot's seed -- that's how another sister had them introduced into her house.

BTW they will tell you to only put one or two traps out at a time but we have them throughout the house, multiples in every room, along the hallways, etc.

They also sell traps for wool moths but those are just a late-warning signal that you already have an infestation as they are catching the adult moth that has come from existing larvae.

I'm trying to figure out how to set off a small nuclear device inside the one large pantry cupboard. . . stay tuned!

This thread inspired me to check on a full-mask silver fox sporran I haven't so much as looked at in 5 or 6 years. Perfectly fine, as is the old hand-knit blue bonnet from TartanWeb which was by it in the same drawer.

Been seeing moths out in my living room periodically (in cycles of several weeks) the last few months, generally on the walls or ceiling and sometimes fornicating; but my woolens all appear to be fine. One of the nice things about San Francisco is that it's a place where, in any season of the year, there will be days where you want to wear them, so they get used more or less continually rather than seasonally stored. Still, I now have a bunch of cedar balls, hangers, spray essence, etc. I plan to use liberally even though I am not a liberal but a small-l libertarian.

Never see the moths around the bedroom, which is where all the woolen kilts, jackets/waistcoats, jumpers (sweaters), sport coats, and business suits are. When they're not on the living room walls, they seem to like the vicinity of the (synthetic fiber) carpet, especially near my parrot's "house", seemingly more interested in her castoff feathers and dander than my sheep-hair.

Still, we hates them. We hates them forever, my preciousss. . .

I've set up a sort of self-sustaining little ecosystem in a "dustbuster" hand-vacuum machine I call my "MothBuster". Suck every moth I see into it and, now and then, an occasional spider who then no longer has to forage very far for food. When it gets full enough I empty it in the apartment complex's trash bin, at which point the spiders are still generally doing just fine on what I've been giving them.

[artificer]

as an additional FYI for those trying to keep away pesky moths- cedar loses it's effectiveness over time as the oils evaporate. A cedar oil can be wiped back into the surface to restore repellant properties. THIS is the only 'easy access' oil I've found.

8oz goes a LONG way, so if you've got a few local kilties (your local St. Andrews Soc), you could go in and split a bottle (probably upwards of 15-20 ways).

I did an entire cedar closet 3.5' x 8' AND my antique sporran case and MAYBE used 2oz, at the VERY most.

[ForresterModern]

Artificer

I ordered a 32 oz spray bottle of Texas cedar oil (supposed to be some of the most aromatic oil there is out there) for $52 shipped. Considering the amound of cedar I now have in the closet I have a feeling that once a year should be enough to refresh it all, but it may take a bit more than 2 oz.. Here is where I bought mine:

http://www.texascedaroil.com/

Another short term solution for those who want to get another season out of their cedar is to give it a light sanding, which brings new cedar surface with its new oils, although this is by no means as effective as re-applying new oils, and besides sanding takes away a layer of your wood, whcih you can only do so many times before you have little if any wood left. I will post reviesed pictures of the closet this weekend, hopefully, after I put the last few finishing touches on it.

jeff

[artificer]

Artificer

I ordered a 32 oz spray bottle of Texas cedar oil (supposed to be some of the most aromatic oil there is out there) for $52 shipped. Considering the amound of cedar I now have in the closet I have a feeling that once a year should be enough to refresh it all, but it may take a bit more than 2 oz.. Here is where I bought mine:

http://www.texascedaroil.com/

Another short term solution for those who want to get another season out of their cedar is to give it a light sanding, which brings new cedar surface with its new oils, although this is by no means as effective as re-applying new oils, and besides sanding takes away a layer of your wood, whcih you can only do so many times before you have little if any wood left. I will post reviesed pictures of the closet this weekend, hopefully, after I put the last few finishing touches on it.

jeff

Their prices are pretty good. What was shipping? W/ tax I payed about $20 for 8oz.

[ForresterModern]

Their prices are pretty good. What was shipping? W/ tax I payed about $20 for 8oz.

The 32 oz bottle of oil was just under $40, and shipping for any size bottle 32oz or smaller was $12 and some change so a smidgen over $52 for the big 32 oz bottle (did not think I needed to order a gallon). Probably last me a lifetime.

[artificer]

The 32 oz bottle of oil was just under $40, and shipping for any size bottle 32oz or smaller was $12 and some change so a smidgen over $52 for the big 32 oz bottle (did not think I needed to order a gallon). Probably last me a lifetime.

That IS a great price, especially if you could split it w/someone.

[ForresterModern]

Got the last of the finishing touches done on the Kilt Kloset cedarization update/moth-proofing project prompted by the first visualization of those little devils just over a week ago. Overall cost me about as much as a machinesewn kilt, but if it saves the current collection from holiness (pardon the pun) it is worth every pence spent. All woolen headgear is in plastic storage boxes, as are all sporrans not made purely of leather. All such boxes have at least one or two cedar blocks in them and are sealed with locking mechanisms. All kilts and jsckets (except the two I am wearing later this week) are already in moth-proof garment bags with cedar hangers in each. All shelves and each drawer have a cedar plank base in them for further cedar surface area. I have a bottle of cedar oil for revitalizing all the cedar when the smell starts to wane. I have moved all my hose into the bottom two large drawers along with all my flashes. I also bagged up my regular dress jackets that were Harris tweed and put them in the closet too, for safe summer keeping.



Right side behind the door---hats, bonnets, etc and shoes. Left side sporrans and the bottle of cedar oil on top of the drawers.



Turned slightly left, now showing some of the hanging goods.




Top and bottom hanging goods all in storage garment bags of one sort or another, except the two I have to wear this coming weekend. Neat and tidy, and safe from the demon moths we can only hope. Still have to punch a few holes in the plastic containers of sporrans with a finishing nail to vent them a bit as per Artificer's advice. Otherwise I cannot really think of any other ways to make this little closet any more moth proof Than i already have. Anybody got any further ideas?

Jeff

[CMcG]

So tells us ForresterModern, how do you like the smell of cedar? I applaud your precautions but I'm sure your home must smell very cedar-y, no? Personally, I like the smell of cedar, so it sounds fairly pleasant...

[ForresterModern]

So tells us ForresterModern, how do you like the smell of cedar? I applaud your precautions but I'm sure your home must smell very cedar-y, no? Personally, I like the smell of cedar, so it sounds fairly pleasant...

Considering the alternative I am beginning to love the smell of cedar. Actually all the cedar is in this one closet, which with its door closed is fairly well sealed off from the rest of the bedroom (although it shares a common vent with another closet also holding some woolen winter coats---so no problem there). The bedroom is the least used in the house so its door is also usually closed and its vent usually closed off as well to conserve energy, so there is really little smell outside that room. The bedroom off the vent-sharing closet is also usually uninhabited so that closet door also usually stays closed.

Personally I prefer the lilacs but they did not seem to be getting the job done, and the wife despises the smell of moth balls, I too but less so I guess the question will be how much I can tolerate the smell of cedar on my closthes when I take them out to wear them---we shall see. I have had wool sweaters (pullovers to you UK chaps) for years in an armoire with cedar balls, but not with the strength of scent of the cedar in the kilt closet. Never had a moth problem with any of my sweaters but then never really had that much cedar smell to them either.