It's really hard to buy a present for Mr. Minimalist. He's just one of those people. One year I bought him a sweater. Another year, a soft scarf, and the year after that? A nice winter hat. This is how unoriginal I've become.
Thanks to our moth infestation, we no longer own any of those things. I guess that's the one good thing about moths-- now I have a list of presents lined up for the coming years.
But in all seriousness, it's a real problem. Moths are attracted to dark untouched corners, and even in a small space like ours, there are plenty of those.
Mothballs have never been an option-- I can't stand the smell. Now that I know that they're terribly toxic to have in your house, I feel justified in my peevishness. But mothballs do work, and I've had a really difficult time finding a natural alternative to those convenient little parcels of chemicals.
I scoured the internet for solutions to our problems. And, after ironing, dry cleaning, hot washing and tossing (all solutions to killing the moths and larvae on infested clothing that I read about on the internet), I resolved to go whole hog into the natural moth repellent business.
What helps? Although nothing is for sure, there are scores of herbs and other natural ingredients that you can use around your house to ward off those flying nightmares. Here are the top few:
- Cedar
- You can buy the essential oil, or blocks of cedar wood and keep these around-- but remember the wood goes old, and has to be refreshed by sanding or adding oil;
- Eucalyptus
- They are sold where ever flowers are... supermarkets, florists, etc.;
- Lavender
- Available dried at florists, natural food stores;
