Ewephoric Fibers

Ginger writes:
We all have fiber and or yarn stashes that are squirreled away awaiting that perfect project. We have all had the experience of opening our stash and, horror of horrors, discover a little cloud of moths! Or you find a little pile of gritty dust. Your natural fibers can become dinner for moths, silverfish, roaches and other insects. Mice also find that nice warm fluff a fine place to raise a family. So how do you protect your treasures from unwanted company and damage?

There are many compounds that can be used to protect your fiber or yarn. My grandmother used mothballs made from naphthalene. Whenever I encounter that smell, it triggers memories of my grandmother knitting wonderful items. Naphthalene, however, is flammable so it is no longer used. The current compound used in mothballs — 1,4-dichlorobenzene — smells about the same! These work by sublimating, going from a solid state to a gas state, which means you have to replace them on a regular basis. The fumes are toxic to moths and other bugs, and theyrepel mice. However, the fumes are also toxic to people, so if you are going to use them, be sure to open your storage containers in a well-ventilated area.

While mothballs are very effective, it can be difficult to get rid of the smell. Even washing won’t entirely remove the odor. Placing the fiber, yarn, or clothing in the sun for several hours helps to volatilize the last of the molecules and remove the smell. Mothballs have also been recently listed as a potential carcinogen.

So what are the alternatives? There are a variety of herbs and spices that can be used to keep unwanted pests at bay. Sachets made of lavender and calendula flowers or rosemary, mint, or cloves will not only repel pests, they will also smell wonderful! Non-moth ball alternatives only repel insects; they do not kill them. Good fiber hygiene is the best way of protecting your precious fibers, yarns, and wool/alpaca garments.

Some dos and don’ts:

• Just like good personal hygiene, good fiber hygiene starts with bathing. Wash your grease or dusty alpaca fleece before you add it to your stash. Bugs will flock to dirty fleece before clean fleece. This applies to any protein fiber such as wool, alpaca, camel, silk, etc.
• Do not store fibers in plastic where the plastic actually touches the fibers. Rabbit angora, in particular, and other very fine fibers have a tendency to mat if they are against the plastic. Store your fleeces in pillowcases then place them into large zip-top type bags. Smaller items like yarns, roving, and clothing can be wrapped in non-acid, non-dyed paper and then into a zip-top bag. Squeeze out most of the air and your fibers will be protected from outside attack. Use heavy plastic bags as moths can eat through lightweight plastic.
• Check your fibers or clothes on a regular basis and look for infestation. If you have stored your items in zip-top bags, any problem should be contained, literally! If you are suspicious of any item, you can either freeze it for at least two days or put it into the microwave for a couple of minutes. If microwaving, do not use any plastic or acrylic ties or bags. These can melt into the surface of the fiber. If a bag is infested, just throw the whole thing away.

So you have found a moth. Now what? First you need to determine if you need to worry. If the moth is flying around in the middle of the day, it is most likely a flour moth. These small gray-brown moths get into dry packaged goods like dry pet foods, oatmeal, pasta, and rice. You generally find them flying around these items in the pantry. These moths do NOT get into your fibers and are not really a problem to protein fibers, other than being a pest. A trip to your friendly hardware store to get some flour moth traps will deal with this problem. Wool moths look very similar and can be difficult to tell apart, but they do not like the light and, like little vampires, they will avoid it at all costs! If you pull out a woolen item, fiber, yarn, clothing, and suddenly have moths about, it is time to worry and look for infestation.

If you determine that you have wool moths, dispose of the item and carefully check any other material that is nearby. If unsure, freeze or microwave any suspicious fibers then repackage in cloth and a plastic bag. This is a time to be absolutely ruthless!

And Care2.com also has some excellent advice for deterring moths and making sachets. Here’s their recipe for Natural Repellent Sachets (you can find the ingredients in bulk at most health food stores).

2 ounces each of dried rosemary and mint
1 ounce each of dried thyme and ginseng
8 ounces of whole cloves

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Blend. Make sachets by choosing a 4″ x 4″ piece of natural fiber with a tight weave, such as silk. Sew three sides together, then fill with the herbs and sew the fourth side shut. You can adapt this pattern to any size you want (2 x 2 is the traditional size for the undergarments drawer, for example). A good idea for small sachets is to fill cotton teabags sold for making your own tea (these are often sold in health food stores). If you are really in a rush, just tie the herbs up in a cotton bandana or handkerchief; place the herbs in the middle, gather the edges together, and tie with a ribbon. Variation: Other herbs that are good for repelling moths include lavender, lemon, sweet woodruff, and tansy.

For further reading:
Cornell University has an excellent article on moths along with a couple of pictures.

What do you do to keep your fibers safe?