The London Lounge

We have learned to appreciate wool for its excellent wearability, but some have an inborn apetite for it. We are eternally at war with the Public Enemy No. 1 of our suits, jackets, trousers and overcoats. Please applaud! Enter the moth.
And keep applauding, because it's good at dodging Not a realiable method, so we have resorted to chemical war: naphtalene (moth balls) - but they smell terribly and strongly; chemical sprays - but they may stain the cloth; all sorts of impregnated plastics, gels evaporating through membranes - most of them "lavender perfumed" or "cedar perfumed" using the cheapest and worst smelling synthetical fragrances one can imagine. We spend small fortunes on our favourite colognes and perfumes, only for our noses to be offended every time we open the closet door.
Using lavender in cloth sachets is a great ancient idea, but it doesn't really do a great job of keeping the mothts away in my experience. I use them for shirts and cottonwear for the pleasant natural fragrance.
I thought there must be an elegant solution out there and remembered noticing once in a Santa Maria Novella shop a special product that I had never tried. So, being a great admirer of their preparations, I thought I'd give it a try. I have yet to report on the moth fighting power (although no SMN product disappointed me so far), but the practicality, elegance and superb fragrance of their solution is outstanding: "Cartine odorose per preservare la lana" they are called (fragrant paper cards for the preservation of wool).

The beautiful box contains about two dozen thick paper cards tied in a bundle with a silk ribbon, as well as a glass bottle with a spray containing a cocktail of clove, lavender, cedar, rose and mint - all natural extracts, in the best tradition of SMN. The cards are sprayed with the moth repelling essence, then a piece of ribbon is passed through the hole and they can be tied to a bar in the closet. When the perfume becomes weak, all it takes is a couple more sprays to freshen it up - no need to change anything.
Every time I open the doors to my wardrobe I get a breeze of this refined fragrance instead of the vile chemical niff to which I had resigned myself. One bottle lasts considerably, so what seems like a high price is in fact a wise investment, as with so many good things in life. Some things are simply well-inspired!

Do you know if SMN distributes their products out site Florence? In the UK or France for example.

They have a few shops of their own in Italy, one in Japan. Lafco in NY sells SMN, also online. They are present in many countries, but not directly. SMN must be available in the UK, as well, but I don't know where.

SMN has a concession now in London where Maitlands used to be in Piccadily Arcade. I picked up some pot pourri there recently.

Michael

Thanks, Costi, for an elegant and timely (first really warm day of spring here) post. SMN products are distributed in better perfumeries and spas in many U.S. cities, though they may not all have this specialty item.

You have inspired me, however, to think that the basic premises of this product (perhaps with less elegance and subtlety of blending) can be put to use by anyone for very modest cost. A good summary of what's known about clothes moth control can be read here. Many of the aromatic herbs and woods show some repellent properties, though none is perfectly effective. Current thinking is that the strong odors mask the smell of wool that draws the adult moths, rather than actually driving them away. Only one of these aromatics that has been tested in the U.S. (University of California at Davis) has so far demonstrated the ability to actually kill moth larvae, and that only when the larvae are very small. That one is eastern red cedar (juniperus virginiana) and its essential oil is the active ingredient in cedar chests and the cedar component of preparations such as the SMN cedar and herb blend.

One could make one's own cards from good card stock or blotter, and essential oils (distilled for aromatherapy and amateur scent-makers) are available at modest cost (at least for plentiful materials like the cedar). One could blend one's own cocktail, or simply go with the straight cedar oil. Here is one inexpensive U.S. source for steam-distilled eastern red cedar essential oil (and other essential oils as well). One could put a few drops on a blotter card hung from a hanger in a sealed cloth garment bag, or from a closet bar as Costi says. If the aroma dissipates after a few weeks, it can easily be refreshed. Just make sure the oil itself doesn't contact the clothes--it could stain.

There has been a shop at 117 Walton St (SW3) (Sloane Ave end) for many years. I'm pretty sure it's still there.

Surelt, someone has to say it, so I will: "Do you chaps really wear your clothes more than once?"
NJS.

Eucalyptus oil has some effect against moths but it makes you smell like a giant cough lozenge. Chinese people have lined trunks and wardrobes with camphor wood for centuries, to keep moths away from their silks and woollens, to good effect so I hear.

I am very glad that the old Maitland shop has found a further similar use. Cedar wood is also moth repellent.
NJS

storeynicholas wrote:Cedar wood is also moth repellent.
NJS

That's where the essential oil comes from .

Yes but what I really meant to say was that if you use cedar, to make or line your wardrobes and drawers, you have a head start in repelling moths.
NJS

Quite right, Nicholas!

A cedar closet does indeed discourage moths, especially if it's built correctly with thick cedar boards rather than cedar veneer. Every surface of the closet should be panelled with tongue-and-groove joinery. The trimwork and hanging rails should be milled from solid cedar stock. Notch the rails at equal distances and use cedar shaped hangers, not only for an added deterent against winged things but also so your clothes have some breathing room. Each suit or coat really deserves a separate hanging bag with an identity tag attached to the zipper pull so you know what's inside. No point wasting a lot of money on garment bags. If there's a Container Store nearby, load up on plain canvas bags in whatever sizes you need. They're made in China. Back to the cedar closet.

Never wax or varnish the woodwork of this kind of closet. It will have a prevalent aroma of cedar that will last for years, but it will eventually dissipate. All you have to do to refresh the smell is lightly sand the panelling with a medium-grit pad followed by a fine-grit. Orbital sanders do a good job of reviving cedar, but don't get heavy-handed and do wear polycarbonate protective glasses and a respirator. When you've emptied the dust bag for the final time, wipe down the panelling thoroughly and vacuum vacuum vacuum.

JMB

Excellent advice, JMB! That's a job well done from the outset - if you respect your moths enough to treat them to a solid cedar closet.

Costi:

Preventing moths of one kind or another from nibbling on your woollen flannels, worsteds, cashmeres and silks is less costly in the longrun than having your wardrobe magically mended by skilled seamstresses. What I find incomprehensible is why any collector would want to stick pins in the wings of rare species of moths and mount them in display cases for amusement. It's grotesque! No wonder they drive us batty by
eating holes in our wool armor and worming their way into our silks.

JMB

Jordan Marc wrote:What I find incomprehensible is why any collector would want to stick pins in the wings of rare species of moths and mount them in display cases for amusement. It's grotesque! No wonder they drive us batty by
eating holes in our wool armor and worming their way into our silks.

Are you sure it's not the other way round?