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Cat safe moth repellent?

post #1 of 9
2/13/11 at 7:54am
Thread Starter 
We have a bit of a sweater eating moth problem that needs to be fixed . It seems that mothballs are toxic to cats. Any effective but nontoxic solutions? We live in a small flat and the top of the moth infested wardrobe is kitty s fav resting spot.
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post #2 of 9
2/13/11 at 8:04am
I think cedar is supposed to repel moths. You could get some cedar planks and line your wardrobe with them.
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post #3 of 9
2/13/11 at 8:10am
Remove every bit of clothing, clean it so that it is all free of larvae, cocoons, and moths. Before putting the clothes back in it, vacuum every single little crevice, from top to bottom.

The safest repellent you can use is cedar. Go get a cedar 2x4 and cut it up into pieces. Drill through some of them so you can hang them. Make sure you put the pieces of wood in with all of you fabric items. (Vacuum out you closets, too)

Then get some moth traps. These are sticky pheromone traps that have no poison on them. You must make sure you get the right traps for your type of moth. Put the traps in the room but not right by your clothing, hopefully you get the stray ones that your cleaning and cedar chase out.
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post #4 of 9
2/13/11 at 1:21pm
All moth repellents work best in a confined space.

As was recommended thoroughly clean the affected garments. If they cannot be washed take them to the dry cleaner. Ask for moth proofing as well as cleaning - but check that they use a pet-safe method.

Toss a couple of mothballs into your vacuum cleaners, thoroughly vacuum the wardrobe, then discard the bag.

Cut cedar plank into thin slices. Let me back up - gently scrape board with a fingernail, then sniff. If it doesn't smell fragrant / cedar-y keep going until you find a plank that does. Cedar heartwood is the best, very aromatic, should be deep red in color.

Get a large plastic box with tight fitting lid. Add a few cedar bits. Place a layer of cleaned clothing, a few cedar bits, another layer of clothing, top with cedar bits and close box.

Every couple of years lightly sand the cedar to refresh the surface.

Works great for woolen sweaters, blankets, etc.
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post #5 of 9
2/13/11 at 1:40pm
I work in a museum, where a moth infestation can be devastating to old textiles. Apparently dry cleaning alone doesn't kill the larvae, so anything showing any signs of moths is put into a plastic bag and popped into a freezer for a couple of weeks. Then it can be dry cleaned.
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post #6 of 9
2/13/11 at 2:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catapault View Post
Toss a couple of mothballs into your vacuum cleaners, thoroughly vacuum the wardrobe, then discard the bag.
I wouldn't suggest this.. it would make one's home smell terrible. Aside from that, moths are not like fleas. When you suck up the moths or larvae with the vacuum the trauma from sucking them up will harm them enough they're not going to come back out on their own.
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post #7 of 9
2/13/11 at 3:23pm
Moth eggs are a different story from the adult moths and their larvae.
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post #8 of 9
2/13/11 at 3:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catapault View Post
Moth eggs are a different story from the adult moths and their larvae.
I wasn't aware moth eggs walked/crawled or flew - or that they could get back in the house from a vacuum cleaner bag thats been taken out to the trash (per your own directions of discarging the bag- not that many people even use bagged vacs now).

Just opening/having moth balls inside at all will smell awful and they'll do nothing in a vac bag anyways. They work by degassing in an enclosed space over a length of time. It replaces the oxygen. To work in a vacuum bag you'd have to leave them there for weeks to months.
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post #9 of 9
2/13/11 at 6:07pm
Sears sells vacuum cleaners with bags, as recently as 2010 when I bought one.

When people put moth balls in their vacuum cleaner they are more likely to discard the bag than without the addition of moth balls.

If you find the smell or use of mothballs so repugnant, perhaps you might want to consider the use of mugwort, Artemisia abrotanum. It is a traditional herbal moth repellent. To quote from Gertrude Foster's Herbs for Every Garden: "The leaves prevent moths when placed in organdy bags and hung in the woolen closet."

It smells like a cross between creosote and turpentine to me and I'd hesitate to wear a sweater that smells like that. But it would keep the moths away.
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