Cedar Blocks in the Hat Box

[John in Covina]

Hi All!

I have read about using some cedar blocks or moth balls in the hat box to protect against the creepy crawlies. Now I understand you should not let the cedar touch the hat as the oils and such can stain or damage the hat.

How to put the cedar block in the box for an effective repellant but be sure it won't hit the hat?

Solutions?


How many big men were born in Brooklyn? None, only little babies!

 

[Thunderball]

Good question. I just throw them in there and hope for the best. I try to put them in a corner of the box that the hat doesn't touch.

Does cedar "really" repel moths?

 

[jlee562]

From what I've read it's somewhat effective, but it's really the oil that does the heavy lifting.

My Black Sheep Hatworks box has a Cedar block glued into the bottom. Bob advises that you give it a light sand every so often to freshen it.

 

[bendingoak]

Correct its the oils. So if the cedar is dry to the touch it's no good anymore. You are better off using a better hat box that isn't cardboard and has a tight fitting lid.

 

[Walt]

Somewhere I have a document of a research study on moth control I'll have to look for it and could post a link to it) that says cedar in the closet or boxes is of limited effectiveness for controlling the wool/fur/silk destroying moth. Even the ol' moth ball is not a perfect solution either.

A better way is to buy a roll of small plastic trash bags and put each hat in a bag and tie it shut then put it in the box. As long as the bag has no holes and is tied tight enough to hold air like a balloon the moths will never get in--I have never seen anything that says a moth will eat through plastic to get inside to lay its eggs nor have I seen that happen. Assuming of course there isn't already eggs or larva on the hat it will be safe. Moths go right through box seams and the gap between the lid and the box.

I assume the hat(s) will be worn often enough to air out and will not be wet or damp from perspiration of course before being sealed in a bag.

Of course air tight boxes is also a perfect solution. But bags are cheap. I get a roll of 20 at the grocery store for less than $2. Bags in the dark last a long time (years).

Wearing hats and hanging them out in the light also helps to keep the moths away.

 

[Landman]

I don't know how effective it is but my Black Sheep hat box has the cedar glued to the center of the top. Since the hat is upside down it sits in the middle of the hat opening without a chance of touching the felt. The cedar block in JLee's hat box is probably more effective because it is closer to the felt. Neat idea anyway and better than nothing I guess.

On another note, I have hats all over my house hanging on the wall and have never had any of them damaged by moths. However, last winter I took out a nice camel hair jacket from a closet and it looked like it had been shot with a shotgun. It had holes everywhere. I noticed Walt mentioned hanging hats in the light. Do moths only do their damage under the cover of darkness?

 

[TomS]

I've been told that the cedar does help to a certain extent, but a better solution is to put the hats in a garbage bag, and knot the bag tightly.

 

[BR Gordon]

I put cedar chips in each hat box. The chips are inside a cotton bag and each time I put a hat into a box I crunch the bag of chips, to activate the oils.

 

[alanfgag]

On another note, I have hats all over my house hanging on the wall and have never had any of them damaged by moths. However, last winter I took out a nice camel hair jacket from a closet and it looked like it had been shot with a shotgun. It had holes everywhere. I noticed Walt mentioned hanging hats in the light. Do moths only do their damage under the cover of darkness?

I also keep most of my hats stored outside of boxes. I am fortunate to have a spare room with shelving I can devote to this. I have not found a moth bite that did not come with the hat when I purchased it. Moths seem to prefer dark spaces to raise their young. Another problem with hat boxes is found in an old saying - out of sight, out of mind. I generally only collect hats that I can wear and I am more likely to wear the ones that are out and visible than the ones at the bottom of a stack of hat boxes. That said, I do keep the older, rarer hats in my collection boxed. I also keep top hats in boxes. All get an airing out and brushing from time to time, an exercise we both enjoy.

 

[Walt]

On another note, I have hats all over my house hanging on the wall and have never had any of them damaged by moths. However, last winter I took out a nice camel hair jacket from a closet and it looked like it had been shot with a shotgun. It had holes everywhere. I noticed Walt mentioned hanging hats in the light. Do moths only do their damage under the cover of darkness?

Moths like darkness for breeding and laying their eggs (which is what turns into the felt eating larva). Keeping things in the light does reduce the risk of damage. But those nasty critters can climb into dark areas of clothing like pockets, inside liners, under sweatbands/hat liners, etc so I don't think you could say the risk is zero for damage by keeping it in the light but is definitely on the lower end compared to the risk for damage for something that spends months or longer unprotected (not sealed) in a dark closet which is definitely on the great side.

BTW, moths like to fly around under cover of darkness. I seem to recall reading that they find things to lay their eggs on from smell. Hair fibers and especially coupled with perspiration or other moisture on it (that hat smell we all know) is how they find their victims. Cedar and moth balls can block the smell of the hat, but is not a 100% reliable way of guaranteeing they will not find it to lay their eggs. A physical (ideally air-tight) barrier is the only 100% reliable method. I know those suckers can crawl around gaps in doors and door frames and between the door bottom and the floor/jamb. They are tiny and can flatten themselves out after all...

You could always use box tape to seal every seam and the lid corners of the box as well as an effective barrier. Just make sure there is no unsealed area anywhere on the paper box or they can get in! But then you have to cut those tape seams to get the hat out and then retape when you put the hat back in. A bag is much easier. I wouldn't subject a manufacturer/store hat box to tape needlessly either (one that isn't already damaged). If I tape I have a regular cardboard box that I put the hat box into then seal the outer box.

Cedar is nice to use in the closet for the pleasant smell I would just not rely on it as the sole method for protecting your fur/silk/woolen items....

 

[PRW94]

I'm a newbie to hats, but I have a collection of Mitchel and Ness reproduction wool flannel baseball jerseys, like the big leaguers wore from the 1960s on back (how, I'll never know). I keep them sealed up in garment bags with cedar blocks in the bottom of the bags. The thing with the blocks, you can buy cedar oil, dirt cheap, and replenish the cedar blocks, bring the smell back. I do it about 4 times a year ... take the blocks out, put them on a newspaper, saturate them with cedar oil and then when they dry, put 'em back in the bags.