How to Get Rid of Clothes Moths in Your Storage Unit

How can you prepare to get rid of clothes moths in your storage space? South End Self-Storage walks you through the steps you should take when you suspect clothes moths have found their way into your belongings. You will want to take action quick! Follow the self storage tips below to keep your home, office, or storage unit clear from these pests.

How to Get Rid of Clothes Moths & Keep Them Away from Your Fabrics

Identifying the Clothes Moth

How do you know you are dealing with clothes moths and not another type of pest or random damage? Clothes moth larvae eat away holes in fabric and can leave behind a webbing material. The moths (the casemaking clothes moth and the webbing clothes moth) as adults are approximately 1 centimeter long with a yellow or gray color. Although, if you see an adult moth in your home, it is most likely not after your clothes—the larvae are what do damage to your clothing. They especially are attracted to animal-based fibers, such as fur, wool, and cashmere.

Cleaning Up the Damage & Storage Space

OK, so now you know you are dealing with clothes moths. Now what? First thing is to check for damage. Look through your clothing carefully to pick out pieces and either wash or dispose of affected pieces. Some might be able to make a recovery after going through a warm wash or a trip to the dry cleaners. Others are safer just to be discarded if the damage past the point of repair.

From there, you will want to clean out your storage space. Sweep or vacuum thoroughly, and then immediately throw away the vacuum bag. If you are storing in a space like a closet that has carpeting, it is also well worth your while to shampoo or steam clean it.

Preventing Future Pest Infestations

The keys to not attracting these clothes moths in the future are storing your clothing in secure containers and not creating their ideal conditions. They love the dark, and they love humidity, so storage spaces are easy targets. You keep these conditions at bay by visiting your storage space periodically to open up doors, move items, and create some airflow. As you as storing your clothes, look for airtight containers to keep them in. If you choose to go with an option like a garment bag, tape up places like seams that could potentially form holes.

South End Self-Storage Can Ease Your Home Storage Issues

Now that you have a good jump start on how to get rid of the clothes moths in your space, let us know if we can help you with any other self storage needs. South End Self-Storage has storage units of all shapes and sizes on South Boulevard. Choose from indoor with temperature control to outdoor storage units with drive-up entry. Our experts can walk you through the storage rental process and answer any questions that come up along the way for you. They can match you with the best Charlotte self storage for your situation. Or you can find yours completely contact free with our online storage rentals!

Katie Mest

About the Author: Katie Mest is a Content Marketing Specialist at Storage Asset Management in York, PA. She specializes in writing about the self storage industry, including storage tips and helpful resources. Outside of work, Katie enjoys spending time exploring the outdoors and snuggling in with a crochet project and her cat, Billie.