If you’ve ever had to deal with a clothes moth infestation, you know how troublesome these pests can be. They can eat their way through your most cherished garments and have expensive taste, too, attacking clothes and accessories made from wool, silk, feathers, fur, hides and even leather sometimes. It takes a lot of time and effort to eliminate them, so it’s better to prevent the possibility of the appearance of moths altogether. Strong smells repel moths, and you can use this to your advantage.

What Smell Keeps Clothes Moths Away

Which Scents You Can Use As a Natural Moth Repellent?

A wide range of insecticides and products are available on the market today. However, they come with health and environmental risks. Luckily, there are natural alternatives you can use to keep clothes moths away. The smell of these plant-based repellents can be a decisive factor in saving your valuable garments.

Cedar

The essential oil extracted from Cedrus atlantica oil‘s primary moth-repelling properties come from its 70% sesquiterpene hydrocarbon content, which emits a persistent woody, resinous, and urinous scent. The effectiveness of cedarwood in repelling moths depends on the species of cedar used and the freshness of the wood.

How to use cedar to repel clothes moths?

Cedarwood oil is known to be volatile, which means it evaporates over time, and its scent weakens. If the concentration of cedarwood oil becomes too low, moths may return to the area.

  • Essential oil: Cedar essential oil is an effective moth repellent. Add a few drops to a cloth and place it in closets, drawers, or storage containers. Diffuse it in the room or mix it with water in a spray bottle to apply it to affected areas./li>
  • Cedarwood: You can get actual cedar wood as blocks, chips, balls, or sachets. Place them in wardrobes, chests, drawers — any place where you keep clothes, linens, or other items susceptible to moth damage. Note that the effectiveness of cedar oil in the wood may diminish over time, so you will need to replace these products regularly.
  • Furniture & panelling: You can get cedar hangers or cedar chests. However, maintaining the cedar scent at concentrations that are high enough is still an issue because the smell diminishes over time. Sanding chests and closets lined with cedar can revive its potency, but only to a point.

Lavender

Lavender is a natural clothes moth repellent that has been used for centuries. It contains terpene compounds such as linalool, linalyl acetate, cineole, and camphor, which help repel moths. Additionally, the latter two compounds have some insecticidal properties. Although rosemary also contains these compounds, lavender has higher levels of them.

How to use lavender to repel clothes moths?

As with cedar, the strong scent that repels moths evaporates over time, so you must reapply or replace the remedy when the aroma diminishes.

Essential oil: There are plenty of ways you can use lavender oil to repel moths — you can apply it on a piece of cloth or a cotton ball, soak some wood shavings and place them in a fabric sachet, prepare a spray* or even add a few drops to the laundry when washing your clothes.

Lavender spray repellent:

    • 1/2 cup of water
    • 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol
    • 15 drops of lavender oil

Add everything into a spray bottle and shake well. Apply in wardrobes, drawers, and linen cabinets.

Dried lavender: fill a handful of the herb in fabric sachets and put in areas susceptible to moth infestation. Alternatively, you can buy readily made lavender sachets.

Herbs, Spices and Citruses

Although cedar and lavender are the most effective natural remedies for repelling moths, some people may be put off by the cedar’s camphoric smell and the lavender’s potent scent. So, if you seek a different solution, you can resort to other natural scents from herbs, spices, and even citrus fruits.

  • Clove
  • Rosemary
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Peppermint
  • Geranium
  • Lemon
  • Orange
  • Bergamot
  • Citronella

All these plants contain compounds that help repel moths, so you can use them to keep your clothes safe.

How to use herbs and spices to repel clothes moths?

  • Essential oils: You can use any of these aromatic oils in an essential oil diffuser in rooms with a risk of moth infestation. Alternatively, you can put a few drops of the essential oil directly into wardrobes, drawers, linen closets, etc.
  • Dried in sachets: All the above plants and fruit* have a potent smell but are not as strong as the lavender scent. So it’s best to combine a few of them to create an overwhelming smell that will chase away any moth that dares enter your wardrobe.

How to use citrusses to repel clothes moths?

  • Citrus peels: If you want to use citruses, you need only their peels because that is where you have a saturation of limonene and valencene — the components responsible for the fruit’s fresh smell. You can dry some peels and add them to the herbal sachet in your wardrobe, creating a pleasant potpourri for you but disgusting to clothes moths.
  • Essential oils: Citrus essential oils will not only keep moths away but will give a pleasant aroma to the whole room. Use in a diffuser or place a few drops on cotton balls and place in wardrobes, cabinets and drawers.

Benefits of Natural Moth Repellents

  • Have a pleasing aroma
  • Safe for homes with pets and children
  • Can help prevent moth infestations

Disadvantages of Natural Moth Repellents

  • Their smell diminishes relatively fast, so you need to replace them often.
  • The sole use of natural remedies cannot help with a full-blown infestation – you will need to take measures like deep cleaning your home and calling a moth exterminator.

Commercial Moth Repellents: Use with Caution

Natural repellents, while attractive, need frequent replacement due to fading scents. Commercial moth repellents, on the other hand, often contain pesticides. While readily available, use these products cautiously:

  • They’re suitable for wardrobes where children and pets have no access but require proper ventilation. Clothes stored with moth repellents need washing before wearing.
  • Some moth repellents, like mothballs containing Naphthalene or Paradichlorobenzene, can be harmful if inhaled. There’s evidence that Naphthalene can cause cancer in humans and pets.

Safer Solutions for Moth-Free Clothes

Here’s how to tackle moth infestations and prevent their return:

  • For severe infestations, a professional moth exterminator is the best solution.
  • Regular cleaning removes moth eggs and larvae from clothing and storage areas.
  • Use sealed containers for vulnerable items like woollen garments.
  • Wash clothes according to care labels before storing them.

Don’t let clothes moths munch on your wardrobe! Our experienced moth control specialists can eliminate infestations and provide valuable tips to prevent future problems. Contact us today!