Well the moths have gotten to a few of my favorite sweaters carving out a few nice bullet holes in the middle of the chest.
Do I throw out the sweater? Do I keep and wear it as is?
Is there a solution for repairing and salvaging the sweaters?
Is there a solution to protect against moths?
Spoiled my day, the bastards.
UC
Insect bites
Depending on the size and number of the holes and the nature of the sweaters, it may well be possible to have them successfully repaired, in a "re-knitting" process analogous to "invisible" reweaving on woven cloths. Some sweaters are even sold with a bit of extra matching yarn to make such repairs easier. A high-end reweaving service such as French American in Manhattan will either provide the service or be able to refer you to someone who does; good quality cleaners will often know of such services or take in garments and send them out to be repaired. If there's a knitting supply shop near you, they will almost certainly be able to refer you to someone for such repairs or take in the garments themselves and have someone do the work. Over the years, I've had four or five sweaters repaired this way (before moving to the prevention regime below). Some of the repairs are essentially invisible; others, especially on more loosely woven shetlands, are extremely unobtrusive but visible if you are looking for them. For a good knitter, this is usually an easier repair than reweaving a woven menswear cloth, so there are more people who can do it.
What I do now for sweater storage is to fold and stack them three high, with two pieces of tissue paper between each. Between each pair of tissue paper sheets I insert one Moth-Tek paper-covered cedar-scented moth "ball" packet (they're small and flat). Then I place the sweaters in a clean plastic trash-can liner bag, press out the air, twist the open end to close it, and secure tightly with a wire twist. I then store the bagged sweaters in a drawer for the season. The Moth-Tek sachets use paradicholorobenzene, which is not friendly stuff, but these leave very little scent on the sweaters and what they leave is much less unpleasant than the old-style mothball smell. The little cakes in the sachets will volatilize over the course of the storage season (the little paper sachets will be empty, or nearly so, when you unpack in the fall). This means that some of the cedar/pdb smell will escape the bags, quite noticeably so if the space is not centrally air-conditioned and the air temperature gets fairly warm. So if you have the ability to store the bagged sweaters away from your main living/sleeping rooms, you might choose to do so. On the other hand, the scent will discourage moths in the storage drawers, so there's some residual benefit to other vulnerable items in the same storage furniture if it is closed (drawers, cupboard, etc.--not open shelving). Since adopting this regime I have suffered no moth damage in my stored sweaters.
You could try the same strategy with a milder active ingredient, such as essential oil of western red cedar (being careful to find a carrier method for it that doesn't leave oil stains on the garments)--a good part of the plan's efficacy is due to sealing the package so that moths cannot find a crevice to enter and lay their eggs. Cedar oil is an effective deterrent but not fatal to the moths, so if a moth did happen to make it into the package, protection would be less. I continue to use the Moth-Tek sachets, since I bought a large supply many years ago and use so few each year.
Good luck!
What I do now for sweater storage is to fold and stack them three high, with two pieces of tissue paper between each. Between each pair of tissue paper sheets I insert one Moth-Tek paper-covered cedar-scented moth "ball" packet (they're small and flat). Then I place the sweaters in a clean plastic trash-can liner bag, press out the air, twist the open end to close it, and secure tightly with a wire twist. I then store the bagged sweaters in a drawer for the season. The Moth-Tek sachets use paradicholorobenzene, which is not friendly stuff, but these leave very little scent on the sweaters and what they leave is much less unpleasant than the old-style mothball smell. The little cakes in the sachets will volatilize over the course of the storage season (the little paper sachets will be empty, or nearly so, when you unpack in the fall). This means that some of the cedar/pdb smell will escape the bags, quite noticeably so if the space is not centrally air-conditioned and the air temperature gets fairly warm. So if you have the ability to store the bagged sweaters away from your main living/sleeping rooms, you might choose to do so. On the other hand, the scent will discourage moths in the storage drawers, so there's some residual benefit to other vulnerable items in the same storage furniture if it is closed (drawers, cupboard, etc.--not open shelving). Since adopting this regime I have suffered no moth damage in my stored sweaters.
You could try the same strategy with a milder active ingredient, such as essential oil of western red cedar (being careful to find a carrier method for it that doesn't leave oil stains on the garments)--a good part of the plan's efficacy is due to sealing the package so that moths cannot find a crevice to enter and lay their eggs. Cedar oil is an effective deterrent but not fatal to the moths, so if a moth did happen to make it into the package, protection would be less. I continue to use the Moth-Tek sachets, since I bought a large supply many years ago and use so few each year.
Good luck!
Cedar wood sweater boxes and/or closets 'lined' with cedar wood.
And wear stuff with mended moth holes with pride. Like patched tweed, faded and ripped denim, cracked shoe uppers or shirt cuffs showing wear.
Thanks for the detailed advice.
Certainly the Moths have done some serious damage to more clothes than I originally thought.
I now have a seriously aged wardrobe.
Need to find a good weaver and repairer urgently.
I am all in favor of nuking them.
Couch, I'll give French American a try.
Certainly the Moths have done some serious damage to more clothes than I originally thought.
I now have a seriously aged wardrobe.
Need to find a good weaver and repairer urgently.
I am all in favor of nuking them.
Couch, I'll give French American a try.
Sorry to hear the carnage was greater than first estimated, UC. Not sure where you're based, but if getting to Ron Moore at French American (212-765-4670, 119 W 57th (between 6th-7th Aves), Room 1406) is a challenge, there's also Without a Trace in Chicago, which does a steady mail-order business. I haven't used them, but they get good reviews on the interwebs. But dealing with Ron is a pleasure if you get to the city reasonably often. And it's fun, if such a sad errand can be fun, to deal with the same folks who spruced up Leonard Bernstein's opera cape, among other notable garments, when the moths got out of hand. Let us know how you get on.
Amen. There is something wonderful about having clothes that are worth the care and attention of repair and taking the time to do so as well. Its a very punk rock compared with the disposable attitude people have towards almost every possession.Pssst wrote: And wear stuff with mended moth holes with pride. Like patched tweed, faded and ripped denim, cracked shoe uppers or shirt cuffs showing wear.
Wel I bought the moth tek and contacted Ron at French American to whom I will probably send the items for darning.
I spoke with a few cleaners in my area. It seems Fall is peak season for people finding out the shocking moth damage done to knitwear stored away and now pulled from storage. They showed me sweater after sweater with mighty holes in them which people brought in for repair. Who knew that is was a contagion?!
The cleaners swore that there is no defense against a determined moth. The best that they could offer was to clean the item before storage in an airtight plastic bag. And even then…
I am not sure that my sweater is worth the $100 I think FA quoted…yes it is a favored sweater, a modest cashmere sweater from Brooks. But still…it's the principle of the matter not to let the bastards defeat you. My grandmother knew how to darn and she would have fixed it for me in quick order. I have no issue with wearing darned clothes…aren't we individually all pretty much darned up people… but I do hope that I can find someone to do a competent job of putting matters right.
Raphael in NYC was also recommended to me.
I am almost fearful to go into the closet now and dig out other stored (obviously poorly) clothes. But that should teach me not to become too attached to old rags.
I spoke with a few cleaners in my area. It seems Fall is peak season for people finding out the shocking moth damage done to knitwear stored away and now pulled from storage. They showed me sweater after sweater with mighty holes in them which people brought in for repair. Who knew that is was a contagion?!
The cleaners swore that there is no defense against a determined moth. The best that they could offer was to clean the item before storage in an airtight plastic bag. And even then…
I am not sure that my sweater is worth the $100 I think FA quoted…yes it is a favored sweater, a modest cashmere sweater from Brooks. But still…it's the principle of the matter not to let the bastards defeat you. My grandmother knew how to darn and she would have fixed it for me in quick order. I have no issue with wearing darned clothes…aren't we individually all pretty much darned up people… but I do hope that I can find someone to do a competent job of putting matters right.
Raphael in NYC was also recommended to me.
I am almost fearful to go into the closet now and dig out other stored (obviously poorly) clothes. But that should teach me not to become too attached to old rags.
:uppercase wrote:I have no issue with wearing darned clothes…aren't we individually all pretty much darned up people…
...and so many don't even bother to darn up at all
DIY, Time listed it as one of the best inventions of 2010. Woolfiller.uppercase wrote:
I am not sure that my sweater is worth the $100 I think FA quoted…yes it is a favored sweater, a modest cashmere sweater from Brooks. But still…
http://www.woolfiller.com
http://www.rnw.nl/english/video/pick-da ... tions-2010
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packa ... 95,00.html
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