Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Clean cabinets
• Method 2 of 3: Get rid of flour moths
• Method 3 of 3: Deter moths
• Tips
• Warnings

The sees the larvae of moths when the eggs have just hatched. Moths like to lay their eggs in clothing or cabinets with food because a lot of food can be found here for the larvae. If you have found moth larvae in your clothing or kitchen, then you know what damage these larvae can cause. Fortunately, you can solve this problem by cleaning your hives so that you can get rid of the larvae and moths themselves.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Clean cabinets

1. Get everything out. Take everything out of the closet, including items that are not clothing. You will have to clean everything, so take everything out so you can scrub it thoroughly.
2. Vacuum the entire closet. Use an extension or a handheld vacuum to clean the bottom, walls, shelves, and top of your closet. Once you have finished vacuuming, put the contents in a sealed bag. He must leave the house immediately.
   • Make sure you can reach the top and corners of the cabinet.
3. Wash the drawers and the walls. Pour soap or dish soap into a bucket and fill it up with water. Stir in the water to mix the soap with it. Put a clean cloth in the soapy water and use it to wash the drawers and cabinet walls. Keep putting the cloth in the water while you wash the entire cabinet.
4. Wash your clothes and other fabric items. Set your washing machine on the hottest setting because the larvae cannot withstand heat. The water must reach about 48 ° C for it to be effective. Run the washing machine for 20 to 30 minutes to destroy all larvae and eggs.
   • The drying cabinet will also kill the larvae.
5. Freeze items you cannot wash. Larvae cannot survive freezing temperatures. That's why the freezer is a great pesticide. Put the items in a protective sleeve such as a plastic bag. Put this in the freezer for at least 48 hours so that the cold can kill any larvae on the item.
6. Widen to put worn-out clothes in your closet. If you plan to wear clothes more than once, you should choose another place to put it in anticipation of the next time you wear it. Moths prefer clothing that contains sweat or food, as this acts as a magnet for them.
7. Store clothing in airtight containers. You can prevent moths from laying new eggs by keeping the clothes you don't often wear in airtight containers.
   • Some options that are easy to use: sealed storage boxes, vacuum bags and plastic bags.
   • You can stick adhesive tape over the closures for extra protection.

Method 2 of 3: Get rid of flour moths

1. Watch for signs of contamination. Look for small grubs that look like wobbly grains of rice. Also look for tissue in food containers or storage areas. You can also look out for shed skin. Check the corners and dark spots of pantries for larvae and cocoons.
   • The larvae grow to about 1.7 cm and have a black or brown head.
2. Check food to see if it is contaminated. Kitchen moth larvae enter your home through food. If you bring something home that has eggs or larvae in it, the moths will quickly spread to other foods. Check your pantry and watch each item for signs of contamination. You may encounter larvae, the housing of eggs or tissue.
   • Flour moths prefer foods such as grains, flour, birdseed, dried fruit, candy, pet food, dried herbs, nuts and powdered milk.
   • Tissue indicates that the food is contaminated, even if you don't see any larvae or housings.
3. Put items in a sealed bag and get them out of the house. The larvae of moths cannot penetrate a plastic bag seal, so you can prevent the problem from spreading by putting contaminated food in bags. Dispose of these items as soon as possible. Do not leave contaminated food in your home because not all seals may be properly closed.
4. Sort the remaining food. Unfortunately, you will have to throw away most of the food. Any foods that moths usually eat, such as grain products, should be discarded. If there is food in a container that cannot be washed out, it should also be discarded.
5. Wash off any items you want to return to the pantry. The moths lay their eggs in the crevices of things, so there may still be active eggs in your objects. To prevent recontamination, wash these items with warm, soapy water.
   • Check the cracks on, for example, the lids of jars or objects wrapped in plastic.
   • You can also kill the eggs and larvae of moths on food by placing this food in the freezer, microwaving for 5 minutes or baking at 60 ° C in an oven.
6. Replace the shelves of your cabinets. If you have shelves, you may need to remove and dispose of them as they can harbor eggs and larvae. If you have new shelves in mind, you should wait until the contamination has completely disappeared before placing them. Otherwise, you will have to replace them again once the moths have returned.
7. Vacuum your closets. Use a vacuum cleaner extension to vacuum up any visible larvae and crumbs. If possible, vacuum in all crevices and corners as tiny larvae and eggs are often in the darkest places.
8. Wash the shelves and walls of your storage space. First, wash all surfaces with a soapy rag, including the walls and ceiling. Then do the same with a mild bleach solution. Afterwards, you can spray the shelves with plain white vinegar and rub everything off.
   • To make your own bleach solution, mix one part bleach with 9 parts water.
   • Don't forget to scrub the corners well as well.
9. Clean your food containers. Rinse the container in a warm dishwasher if you have one. If not, you can wash it out thoroughly by scrubbing it off in a soapy water bath. Finally, you can rinse with vinegar. You need to follow these extra precautions because a single moth larva in a container can re-infest an entire house.
10. Use airtight containers. Prevent recontamination contamination of new foods by storing your food in airtight containers.
    • When you buy grains, flour or flour, you can keep it in the freezer for a week to kill any eggs that may be in the product.
    • You can also put items in the fridge until you use them.

Method 3 of 3: Deter moths

1. Use strips or paper against moths. You can buy special paper or moth-resistant strips and put them in your wardrobe, drawers, boxes, bags, and pantries. This paper will kill larvae and moths.
2. Place cedar balls in places where you keep clothes. Cedar balls are a great natural alternative to pesticides. Cedar contains an oil that kills small grubs, but it will not be very effective against larger grubs or adult moths. Placing a cedar ball in a drawer or hanging it in your closet may help, but this is not a definitive solution.
   • You can use coat hooks made from cedar wood.
3. Use mothballs. To be effective and safe, mothballs should only be used when you keep your clothes in an airtight container. Place the mothballs near the clothing and then seal. Mothballs don't work immediately, but they contain chemical fumes that kill moths during all cycles of their life.
   • Wear gloves when handling mothballs as they can be poisonous.
4. Place bay leaves in kitchen cabinets. Moths dislike bay leaves. You may already have these in your kitchen. For an easy and safe remedy against moths, put some bay leaves in your kitchen cabinets and pantries.
5. Make your own herb bags. Moths avoid the scents of lavender, peppermint, cloves, thyme, and rosemary. Put your dried herbs in an air-permeable bag and put it in your cupboards, drawers and storage areas. The scent of the herbs will deter the pests.
   • You can use one herb or a combination of two herbs in your sachets.

Tips

• Wash all second-hand and old items before putting them in your wardrobe or in the attic.
• Moth larvae love natural fibers such as cashmere, wool, cotton, silk, feathers and shearling.
• Moths have a life cycle of 10 days.
• If you suspect you have a moth problem but haven't seen any larvae yet, you can use a pheromone trap to attract male moths that feed on clothing. If you manage to catch moths, it is quite possible that there are also larvae.
• Airtight containers are great for keeping moths and larvae out.
• Although people usually think that moths eat their objects, it is the larvae that pose the greatest danger to your clothing and food.
• Don't put dirty clothes in your closet, drawers or storage space.
• Moths hate light.

Warnings

• Avoid chemical moth sprays in areas where you store food. These chemicals are often harmful to humans as well.
• While cedar can help with moth infestation, it will only help if the scent is very strong. Use multiple cedar balls and replace them regularly.
• It can take up to 6 months to resolve a severe moth infestation.