Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Cleaning Closet Moths
• Method 2 of 3: Controlling food moth caterpillars
• Method 3 of 3: repelling moths
• Tips
• Warnings

Caterpillars of the moth represent the larval stage of development of this butterfly, which occurs immediately after the maturation of the eggs. The moth prefers to lay its eggs on clothes and in pantries with food, since it is in these places that there will be enough food for the larvae hatched from the eggs to grow and develop. If you've found a moth in your wardrobe or kitchen, you probably already understand how harmful moth caterpillars can be. Fortunately, you can get rid of them by properly cleansing closets and pantries of clothes moths, killing food moth caterpillars, and taking measures to repel moths in the future.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Cleaning Closet Moths

1. 1 Take out all things. Remove all items from the closet, including non-clothing items such as shoe racks and storage boxes. You will have to clean absolutely everything, so if you have shelves for shoes or other storage systems in your closet, also take them out to clean them thoroughly.
2. 2 Vacuum the cabinet. Use a vacuum cleaner or a portable vacuum cleaner to clean the floors, walls, shelves, and ceiling of your cabinet. When you are finished vacuuming, pour the contents of the vacuum cleaner's dustbin into a tightly resealable bag and immediately remove the waste from your home.
   • Be sure to thoroughly clean the corners and ceiling of the cabinet.
3. 3 Wipe down the walls and shelves of the cabinet. Pour liquid soap or detergent into a bowl or bucket, then fill the container with water. Stir the resulting soap solution. Dampen a clean cloth with soapy water and wipe the walls and shelves with it. Continue to periodically dampen the cloth as you clean the entire cabinet.
4. 4 Wash clothes and other textiles. Set the washing machine to wash in hot water, as moth larvae cannot withstand heat. The wash temperature should be 50 degrees Celsius to be fully effective. Allow the clothes to wash for 20-30 minutes so that all the caterpillars and eggs of the moth are definitely killed.
   • Dry cleaning will also kill the larvae.
5. 5 Freeze items that cannot be washed. Moth caterpillars are also frost-resistant, so frost can be an excellent pesticide. Place your belongings in protective packaging such as a plastic bag. Then put them in the freezer and leave for at least 48 hours to let the cold kill any moth caterpillars that may be on the item.
6. 6 Do not put clothes in the closet that you have already worn. If you plan to wear something more than once, find some other place for her where she can expect to wear a second or third time. The moth prefers to choose clothes with traces of sweat and food, so such clothes attract them like a magnet.
7. 7 Store clothing in sealed containers. Prevent new incidences of moth-laying eggs by using airtight containers to store items you rarely wear.
   • Available packaging options for storage include boxes with lids, vacuum bags, and zip bags.
   • For additional protection, you can tape the openings of the bags and the joints of the boxes with the lids with tape.

Method 2 of 3: Controlling food moth caterpillars

1. 1 Look for signs of moth infestation. Look directly in the pantry and in each food container for miniature caterpillars that look like a wriggling grain of rice, as well as tracks of caterpillar webs. You will probably also notice the shedding discarded skin of the caterpillars. Check all corners and dark areas of the pantry for food moth caterpillars and their cocoons.
   • Caterpillars can grow up to 1.7 cm in length. The caterpillar head can be brown or black.
2. 2 Check food for contamination. Food moth caterpillars enter the home along with contaminated food. If you bring home a contaminated food containing eggs or moth caterpillars, your other food will very quickly become infected with the caterpillars. Review the contents of the pantry for signs of infestation. In doing so, you may find caterpillars, egg shells or cobwebs.
   • Foods that food moth caterpillars prefer to eat include cereals, flour, cereals, poultry food, dried fruits, candy, pet food, dried herbs, nuts, and powdered milk.
   • Even if you do not see caterpillars, their skins and moth eggs, the presence of traces of cobwebs indicates an infection of the product.
3. 3 Put all infected objects in a bag and take them out of the house. Moth caterpillars cannot gnaw through a closed plastic bag, so their spread can be prevented by placing contaminated food in bags. Throw away these foods as soon as possible. Do not leave contaminated food at home, as there is a chance that you will not be able to seal them securely in the bag.
4. 4 Sort out the remaining foods. Unfortunately, most of your products will have to be thrown away. Any foods that moths typically eat, such as cereals or cereal flakes, will need to be thrown away. If a product is stored in a container that cannot be washed, you will have to throw it away as well.
5. 5 Wash the items you intend to return to the pantry. Moths love to lay their eggs in crevices on various objects, so live eggs may still be present on the objects you intend to return. To avoid recontamination, wash all of these items thoroughly in warm, soapy water.
   • Check any crevices under the container lids, as well as plastic wrinkles on the wrapped food.
   • You can also kill eggs and moth caterpillars in food by placing food in the freezer, heating it for 5 minutes in a microwave oven or in an oven at 60 degrees Celsius.
6. 6 Replace the liner on the shelves. If the shelves for storing food are covered with a backing, it will have to be removed and discarded, as eggs and larvae may also be present there. If you plan to line the shelves with new backing, wait until the moth is completely free. Otherwise, you will have to change the substrate again if the moth reappears.
7. 7 Vacuum the pantry. Use the vacuum cleaner hose directly to collect all visible tracks and food crumbs. Vacuum crevices and corners if possible, as small caterpillars and moth eggs tend to hide in the darkest areas.
8. 8 Wash pantry shelves and walls. First, wipe all surfaces with a soapy cloth, including the walls and ceiling of the pantry. Then treat everything with a weak bleach solution. The solution can be prepared by yourself or you can buy a ready-made cleaning agent with chlorine in the composition. After that, you need to spray white wine vinegar on the shelves and wipe everything again.
   • To make your own bleach solution, add 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.
   • Remember to wipe down all corners thoroughly.
9. 9 Clean food containers. If you have a dishwasher, place the containers on a hot dishwashing cycle. Otherwise, scrub them thoroughly in a large container of hot, soapy water. Finish off by rinsing the containers in vinegar. You just need these precautions, as even a single caterpillar left in any container can lead to re-contamination of all products.
10. 10 Use airtight containers for storing food. To prevent re-contamination and contamination of new foods, store them in airtight containers.
    • Each time you buy cereals, flour, flakes, it would be wise to hold new products in the freezer for a week in order to destroy the eggs of pests that may be present there.
    • You can also store food directly in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Method 3 of 3: repelling moths

1. 1 Use paper or moth strips. You can purchase specialty paper or moth strips for use in cabinets, drawers, bags, and pantries. Such paper kills caterpillars and moth eggs.
2. 2 Spread the cedar moth balls wherever you store your clothes. Cedar balls are an excellent natural substitute for pesticides. Cedar contains oils that kill small moth larvae, but they do not have much effect on grown caterpillars and adult moths. Sure, hanging a cedar ball in a closet or tucking it into a dresser drawer might help you, but it won't completely solve the problem.
   • There is also the possibility of using cedar hangers.
3. 3 Use moth balls. Such products are effective and safe, but should only be used to store items in sealed containers. Place the balloon in the garment and then seal it. The action of moth balls does not start immediately, but they contain chemicals, the fumes of which accumulate over time and kill the moth at all stages of the life cycle.
   • Wear gloves when handling moth balls as they can be toxic.
4. 4 Add bay leaves to kitchen cabinets. The moth will naturally avoid bay leaves, which most likely already exist in your kitchen. For a simple, safe moth repellent, spread a few laurel leaves on the shelves of your kitchen cabinets and pantry.
5. 5 Make homemade herbal sachets. The moth avoids the smells of lavender, peppermint, clove, thyme, and rosemary.Divide these dried herbs into breathable bags and then place them in cabinets, drawers, and other storage areas. The smell of herbs will scare away moths.
   • You can put one type of herb or a combination of different herbs in moth bags.

Tips

• Re-wash all used and vintage items before storing them in the closet or putting them away in the attic.
• The moth loves natural fabrics and fibers, including cashmere, broadcloth, cotton, silk, feathers, and wool.
• The life cycle of a moth is 10 days.
• If you suspect that you have a mole but haven't seen its larvae yet, you can use a pheromone trap to lure male moths that eat your clothes into it. If you manage to catch butterflies, then you may also have caterpillars somewhere hiding.
• Sealed containers provide excellent protection against moths and their larvae.
• Although people generally assume that moth butterflies eat their stuff, the greatest risk to clothing and food comes from their caterpillars (larvae).
• Do not put dirty clothes in cabinets and drawers, and do not put them away for storage in a dirty state.
• Moles don't like light.

Warnings

• While cedarwood can help you fight moths, it is only useful when it exudes a strong odor. Use a lot of cedar balls at once and update them regularly.
• Avoid using chemical moth sprays near food. The chemicals they contain are often as dangerous to humans as they are to moths.
• It can take you up to six months to deal with a serious moth infestation at home.