It's frustrating to find that moths have invaded the pantry.
As gentle and harmless as they might seem, moths do a lot of damage to food and clothes. An infestation of moths can cost hundreds of dollars in damage, and if not addressed thoroughly, these moths will reappear season after season and year after year. One of the most difficult factors about moths is that you may not see them at first, and spotting one does not reveal how many more are cocooned between the cracks. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Clean Up and Throw Out
1. Remove all the clothes from your closet or food from the pantry closet.
2. Wash and dry clean the clothes. Moths or their larvae may be hidden inside garments.
3. Discard food from the pantry in garbage bags. Moths may have invaded the food in your home or may be in the packages before they enter the house. Try to set the food outside at a safe distance from the house so birds and other animals may eat it before tossing it in the garbage.
4. Disinfect the closet. Wash all of the walls, the ceiling and floor. Remove any shelves, and wash in the cracks between the shelves and the wall. Leave the closet door open to dry.
Seal and Repel
5. Apply caulk with a caulk gun along the corner seams of the closet if there's a gap or slight opening.
6. Apply caulk along the base edges of the closet and around the door molding.
7. Seal any other cracks or holes in the closet.
8. Place mothballs into each corner of the closet and on the shelves.
9. Close the door for 2 to 3 days and allow the mothballs time to work before using the closet again.
Moth Traps
10. Set up moth traps in the closet. Use the moth traps only after emptying and thoroughly cleaning the closet. Purchase moth traps that use pheromone, a natural chemical compound that moths produce to lure other moths. The moths gravitate toward it and get caught in the trap.
11. Use natural remedies to make a trap. Moths are repelled by eucalyptus, lavender, cloves and cedar. This is why many custom closets are constructed of cedar.
12. Clean up the moth traps every few days and replace them with new ones.
13. Keep up your closet maintenance. For clothes, check items periodically. For food, seal packages properly and thwart infestation by cleaning the pantry closet regularly and freezing packaged foods before storing in the pantry.
Tags: Apply caulk, caulk along, closet Wash, food from, food from pantry, from pantry