How To Identify And Get Rid of Moths In Clothes

Cloth moths are common moths that are known to damage our garments that have silk, cotton, wool, fur, or any other natural fibers. Inside our home, they are found in the basement, attic, boxes, wardrobe, etc., and can thrive in the urban environment as the presence of textiles is abundant.

Although we might blame both the larvae and adult cloth moths for the damage to our clothes, only larvae are notorious feeders that can damage all natural fibers, even leather, and feathers, while the adult has an interest in mating and reproduction only. 

Visual Inspection

The first approach to identifying cloth moths is through visual inspection. Cloth moths can be found in your closets, drawers, and wardrobes as they infest our clothes and feed on them. They prefer to remain in dark places where they won't be disturbed.

So, you need to look for any signs of them in their potential hiding places like in the gaps in the furniture, or in between clothes, etc. The adult moth is about 0.5 inches in length with narrow wings. They are of tan, brown, and pale golden color, meanwhile, the larvae are creamy white in appearance with brown heads and one-half inches in length.

Feeding Damage

Larvae of cloth moths are notorious feeders. When they feed on our fabrics, they leave irregular holes in them. You can always find such holes in your silk, fur, wool, cashmere, and even synthetic fiber mixed with some cotton.

Larvae of cloth month have mandibles that are strong enough to chew through our clothing. They prefer to devour the soft and delicate part of such clothing, leaving several holes scattered in the clothes as they go on feeding.

Detecting Eggs

A cloth moth can live for around a month or so. During this time, the female lays a few dozen eggs, which are minute and almost invisible to human eyes. These eggs are laid in dark places that are often undisturbed such as folded clothes, under the collar, and especially on the winter clothes that are left unused for several months.

The eggs of cloth moths are creamy white, and if you shine a bright light on them you can easily see the difference in color contrast. If you see a cloth moth larvae in your clothes, you can find their eggs nearby. Sometimes, you can use a magnifying glass if you are confident about the cloth moth infestation.

Detecting Larvae

Once the eggs hatch, the larvae come into action immediately and start feeding the fabrics. The fabrics have a type of protein called keratin, and the cloth moth larvae love to feed on it as they can be easily digested.

They stay in dark places to get away from possible predators. The larvae feed on everything that has keratine on them. When they feed, they leave a series of holes and these holes will help you to detect the larvae of cloth moths. 

Detecting Droppings

You can also follow the trail of the droppings of cloth moths if you want to find them. The droppings are minute in size, sand-like in observation, and almost the same color as the fabric they feed on. You can find these droppings in or near the damaged clothes where the larvae previously fed on.

Detecting Cocoon

After feeding on the natural fabric for a couple of months, the larvae of cloth moths transition into pupae by spinning their cocoon. The pupae are small but elongated and are brown or yellowish.

The pupae are found in dim and dark places, like underneath the furniture, corner of a closet, etc. You can often find such cocoons if there is a presence of moths in our house. 

There are a plethora of approaches to get rid of cloth moths completely. Some of these methods require manual work while other uses natural and synthetic chemicals to manage them. A few of the common ways of getting rid of cloth moths in our house are explained in the section below.

One of the approaches to getting rid of cloth moths is manual removal. This is especially suitable for removing the adult moths that are capable of reproducing. You might want to wear a pair of gloves and a transparent spectacle for extra protection. You can put them in a bag or a container and seal them to eliminate them.

If you come across eggs, larvae, or pupa, you need to crush them so that they will have no chance of survival and thus, keep your house away from the infestation.

Essential oils have several benefits, they can freshen your house and act as a moth repellent. Cedar's oil is the best essential oil when it comes to getting rid of cloth moths as it is very toxic to the moth's larva, which can kill them.

You can make a spray by mixing essential oils with water in a spray bottle. Then, apply that spray in possible hiding places of moths, like underneath your furniture, inside your closets or wardrobe, cracks, or any other holes, etc. Moths will avoid staying or laying eggs in areas treated with essential oils.

Mothballs can repel and kill many fiber pests including cloth moths. Mothballs have chemicals like naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene whose fumes can kill the larvae and the adult moths. It should be placed in a tight container and put among your clothes. Please avoid putting mothballs directly on your clothes or wardrobe and make sure you wash your clothes afterward.

It is however toxic to humans and other animals. Therefore it should be kept away from the reach of your children and pets. You need to avoid using unnecessary amounts of mothballs as they are known to cause cancer if we are exposed to their fumes for a long time.

Camphor is a better and safer alternative to mothballs. You can keep small blocks of camphor in a breathable bag and place it directly in your closet, wardrobe, or drawer where you have the problem of cloth moths. Camphor emits an aroma that can repel several insects, including moths. 

Although camphor is not toxic to humans, its ingestion can cause some health implications. So, you need to keep it away from children. Likewise, long exposure to camphor might not be a good idea. Some people might develop an allergic reaction to camphor.

Pheromone traps can also be an effective way to manage and reduce the population of adult cloth moths. These traps have pheromones that emit the scent of a female moth which can lure male moths towards it. When they walk through this trap, they get stuck in the traps and will not be able to move. You can then eliminate them if they are alive.

You can place such traps in dark and dim places like wardrobes, closets, or any other possible hideouts of moths. Eliminating adult cloth moths gives them no chance of mating and producing offspring, thus lowering their population.

Insecticides can also be another option to get rid of cloth moths if they start infesting your house but it should be taken as a last resort. Different insecticides are available in the market that can easily kill off all stages of cloth moths. 

Insecticides like permethrin, pyrethrins, chlorfenapyr, etc. can help to get rid of cloth moths completely. However, these chemicals are toxic to humans and animals and their use should be regulated. You need to wear a proper fume mask and gloves while applying these insecticides.

Vinegar, especially white vinegar, is a natural remedy to get rid of the eggs and the larvae of cloth moths. You can make a solution by mixing one cup of vinegar and two cups of water.

Then, gently rub this solution on the corners of the closets, furniture, storage containers, and any other places they might be found. You can also buy vinegar-soaked detergent that can be directly used in washing machines which will repel cloth moths.

Vinegar is acidic, which makes it a good cleaning agent, killing off all the eggs and larvae of cloth moths once it comes in contact with it.

Vacuuming might be the easiest and the simplest method to get rid of cloth moths. You can get rid of eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults by regularly vacuuming your carpets, rugs, sofas, or any other materials with natural fibers in them. You can even vacuum your clothing with a small vacuum that can be easily available in the market.

Besides these, you can also vacuum corners and underneath the furniture, and even use it to clean the inside of closets and wardrobes as it picks up everything on its way and gives cloth moths no chance to escape.

Cleaning is the key to removing any pest not just the cloth moths. You need to thoroughly clean your garments regularly. Dry cleaning would be much better as it kills moths' eggs and larvae and helps to keep the fabric of our clothing intact. Dry cleaning is the best choice for anything with silk or wool as it does not hamper or ruin the quality.

Moreover, you can also discard or get rid of clothing that is heavily infested or impossible to recover. This way you will be getting rid of eggs and larvae of cloth moths, consequently reducing the probability of infestation.

Cloth moths often lay eggs and infest clothes that are not used regularly, like winter jackets and sweaters. When certain clothing is not used regularly, this will create an undisturbed environment in the wardrobe or closet which is perfect for cloth moths.

Sealing your clothes in airtight bags will remove the oxygen content and keep the fabric less humid. These conditions will not be an ideal habitat for cloth moths. Besides these, the plastics act as a barrier between the clothes and the moths and also conceal the scent within the bag. This will prevent the cloth moths from entering our clothes and reduce the breeding grounds for cloth moths. 

As we discussed earlier, moths prefer dark and humid environments. So, having an effective ventilation system in our house can be one measure that can help you to get rid of cloth moths.

Good ventilation reduces the humidity of our room and helps to dissipate the scent of fabrics more effectively. 

Some of the above-described measures might not work sometimes. If your house is heavily infested by cloth moths and you are unable to manage the infestation on your own, it is the best idea to get help from professionals. They have the necessary skills and tools to manage such infestation.

If you have come this far, you might have already got the gist of what cloth moths eat. Cloth moths will feed on everything that has animal fiber in them, such as silk, fur, carpets, rugs, leather, etc. They have mandibles on their mouth parts which help them to devour such materials effectively. 

The larvae are vigorous consumers and can derive protein from the fiber they feed on. This protein is essential for the next stage of their lifecycle.

The cloth moth is said to have originated from the Mediterranean region and is now found in many parts of the world dominating in Asia, North America, Australia, Europe, etc.

Human settlements provide them with perfect conditions for their growth and development as they provide them with ample food resources. Cloth moths favor dirty and unwashed clothes with human scent and body oil.

Inside our house, they find their dwelling in our basement, attic, closets, drawers, wardrobes, and boxes. They prefer dark and dim environments with no disturbance from humans. This allows them to feed on our garments vigorously causing irreversible damage to them. 

In the previous sections, I have tried to provide you with some information regarding the lifecycle of cloth moths. Now, let us discuss this in detail. 

Like other moths, cloth moths also have four stages in their lifecycle i.e., eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. Let's look at each of them now.

1. Eggs

The egg is the first stage in the life cycle of cloth moths. A female moth usually lays around 40 or more tiny cream-white eggs in a dark place, far from the disturbances. The eggs mature in 4 to 10 days and hatch in around 20 days or so. 

2. Larvae

Larvae come out after the eggs are hatched. They start feeding immediately after hatching and can feed fiercely for a few weeks damaging our clothes. The larvae have a soft and cylindrical body of about less than an inch long. They are milky white and have an almost black head. The larvae stage can last for a few weeks to a few months depending upon the availability of food, temperature, and humidity. 

3. Pupae

At the end of the larval stage, the larva starts to spin silk-like material around itself, forming a cocoon. The cocoon is small and elongated and its color varies depending on the environment where the cloth moth lives. However, in the beginning, the cocoon is milky white but gradually turns redish brown or yellowish at the later stage. This stage usually lasts for around two weeks.

4. Adult

Adult cloth moths are small in size, ranging from around 0.25 to 0.5 inches, and are buff-colored. An adult moth typically lives for a month, while some live for a few more months. Unlike cloth moth larvae, they do not feed on our clothing. The adults are sexually active and start to look for potential mating partners. They tend to avoid light and are active at night.

Most of the time you only notice the presence of cloth moths after your clothes are completely ruined with holes. The signs of cloth moth infestation are not quite easy to notice at the earlier stage. Below are some of the indications that might help you to understand them before they cause major significant trouble.

• Presence of small but irregular holes throughout your garments with natural fibers.
• You can often see larvae crawling through your garments, especially under the collar or folded parts.
• The larvae leave thin and sticky silken webbing wherever they feed.
• You can find tiny sand-like larvae dropping on your clothing.
• You might find a cocoon attached underneath the furniture or on the corner of your wardrobe.
• The presence of cloth larvae emits a mouldy scent because of their droppings and their secretion in the garments.