What you are NOT wearing may be in danger!
By: Dave Olson, Haberdasher
August 11, 2020
Clothing worn more frequently may wear out faster, but that is to be expected. Clothing that dies a premature death because of damage, low quality materials or shoddy workmanship is another thing.
I often hear about damaged clothing. Usually it’s from getting caught on an armchair or, worse yet, being chewed on by a pet or eaten by a moth. I want to speak about the moth issue. First of all, moths don’t eat clothes; their larvae do. And you won’t see the micro-sized larvae. It’s always a sneak attack.
What got me thinking about this now is that moth larvae tend to do damage to clothing that hasn’t been worn in a while. Your athletic dry tech clothes are safe. Synthetic fibers have no appeal. They like to burrow into natural fibers like fine wool wovens and luxurious cashmere knits.
Does that sound like anything in your wardrobe? Probably every single one of your beautiful suits and blazers, except maybe your #zoomjacket? You get the idea. Not many of us are getting dressed up right now, so a lot of clothing is going unworn and untouched. And that is where the danger lies.
What to do? A little cedar and lavender can’t hurt, but Try this: take that suit out of the closet, give it a good shake or brushing (if you have a proper clothing brush) and put it back. That’s it. Do that very so often....depending on how often you wear an item...and it should be unlikely that you will find little holes with microscopic bite marks in any of your favorite clothing. If it’s convenient enough, take them outside before you do the shaking. Otherwise, plan to vacuum well when you’re done. Also, keeping everything in the closet dust free will help. Wooden floors instead of carpet underneath hanging clothing is also recommended.
Pro Tip: Moths and their larvae like warm air and moisture. So keep your closets cool and dry. Some people put clothing into a freezer to kill larvae and bacteria. Seems like you’d need a special freezer just for that.
What's out of sight, is often out of mind. Protect your investment!