We’ve had a problem with moths for years. First, it was pantry moths. We’d see them flying around our kitchen, and we’d find their webbing inside sealed foods. Then it was wool moths. These were the most devastating – I have lost countless sweaters to the little buggers. Even though we cleaned and vacuumed, they persisted. As we are redoing our doors, floors and trim, we discovered the odd place the moths hid and bred.
We are replacing all our doors with five-panel doors. You often find these in homes our age in the neighborhood, and since we had to replace doors anyway, we decided to go all in and replace all of them. This included several bi-fold doors, including one to the pantry. It’s a smaller door opening, and the bi-fold door took up too much space if you are trying to squeeze in there. We are swapping the door for one on hinges, and we took the old door out while we were doing the floors.
To our horror, we found where the moths had been breeding. The area behind the door casing was covered with webbing and larvae. It was disgusting! Since the door was so small, it was only trimmed on the outside. The moths had free access to the cracks between the wall and the jambs, which created a cozy place for them to breed. When we re-install these doors, we are filling these cracks with sealant and caulking every piece of the trim. I do not want to hear reports of moths from future tenants!
How we got rid of pantry moths… finally
Although we found evidence of the pantry moths when we removed the doors, we actually had not seen them in our kitchen for a year. Here is what we did to get rid of them:
- Remove sources of food. The moths do not just get into open food items… they can get into sealed packaging. We store open packages in airtight bins to discourage snacking.
- Freeze/refrigerate food. For a while, we stored all foods that were prime for moth snacking in the refrigerator and freezer, and we continue to store things like flour and pastas in the refrigerator. Yes, this takes up a lot of space, but it works. I think this was the most effective way to eliminate their food source.
- Set traps. We also put out some pheromone traps to catch adult moths. These worked for us, but they do only catch the male moths. I would use the traps in concert with other methods.
- Clean, clean, clean. As we removed all food items, we vacuumed and cleaned all surfaces. This is super important – not only will you clean areas where they bread, it makes it easier to see if they come back. And after you vacuum, it’s important to empty the bag or canister as the moths can bread in there. Get them out of your house!
- Use diatomaceous earth. After we cleaned all the surfaces, I sprinkled diatomaceous earth in cracks and crevices that are harder to see. These spots included the back of cabinets, cracks between cabinets and wall, and the gaps in the floor boards. The powder dries them out, which can be especially helpful for larvae.
- Seal cracks. As noted in the photos, the moths can sneak in anywhere. After you vacuum, seal the cracks so they cannot burrow in and lay eggs.
How we addressed wool moths
The steps above were helpful to get rid of our pantry moths. We have also had wool moths, and I’ve found the following steps to be helpful, in addition to the items above:
- Wash everything. If you can, wash in hot water. Dry clean everything else.
- Leave in the sun. The hot sun can kill moths. We leave our wool rugs out in the sun, and some clothing too. It’s important to watch these items as the sun can fade garments if left out too long.
- Freeze it. Like pantry moths, wool moths do not like to be left in the freezer. If you have an infected item, put it in the freezer for a few days to kill the larvae.
- Shake it out. Make a habit of shaking out items that you put in storage. That will dislodge larvae that could be feeding on your clothes. I’ve also found that damage is not readily visible until a garment is worn, so shaking an item can help you identify a damaged item before you wear it.
- Inspect everything. I’ve found moth larvae on non-wool items. It’s important to inspect everything in your closet to find the offending item.
- Store in airtight bins. I’ve had mixed success with this. I store older or off-season items in these zippered bins, which stack nicely on the closet shelf. I throw lavender mothballs in these, and the bins help contain the smell. I’ve also used vacuum-sealed bags, which I have found to be not as effective.
We are still battling the wool moths (I just threw away a cashmere sweater), and I suspect they are also hiding in the door trim. When we move to our new house, I plan to seal all closets in advance. I also plan to line a closet with cedar to store wool items in the off season. Hopefully this gets rid of our moths for good!
