Moth protection for Hats

[billysmom]

PM sent to Boodles.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

PM sent to Boodles.

Could I possibly have one of those PM's ma'm ?

 

[Spats McGee]

PM sent to Boodles.

May I also have one of those, please?

 

[ScottF]

PM sent to Boodles.

If this isn't something illegal, please post - I'm interested as well.

 

[billysmom]

If this isn't something illegal, please post - I'm interested as well.

As a clinical aromatherapy practitioner, I'm picky about where I buy essential oils. Hospital protocol requires MSDS data sheets and gas chromatography analyses of each oil to make sure they are not contaminated by solvents.

All that being said, my preferred source is www.naturesgift.com. Only a drop or two on a cotton ball is sufficient to discourage bugs. If applying to the skin, however, you should dilute it with a neutral carrier oil such as grapeseed or sweet almond in a ratio of one to five drops of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil to avoid irritation.

Sue

 

[Boodles]

Lemon Eucalyptus

Ma'am
Thanks for both the post and the PM. I need to get my oil order in. In addition to all the those priceless (at least to me) felt hats I have a number of wool sweaters, a slew of old Harris Tweed jackets, and another slew of newsboy/8 panel/flat caps. Given the near Eldorado for moths that I find myself with, I'd appreciate hearing from billysmom, once again, on how best to collectivly protect the all that stuff using the essential oils. The jackets and caps are all in the same closet but the hats are..well...all over. Should each piece have its own oiled cotton ball?

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us.

As a clinical aromatherapy practitioner, I'm picky about where I buy essential oils. Hospital protocol requires MSDS data sheets and gas chromatography analyses of each oil to make sure they are not contaminated by solvents.

All that being said, my preferred source is www.naturesgift.com. Only a drop or two on a cotton ball is sufficient to discourage bugs. If applying to the skin, however, you should dilute it with a neutral carrier oil such as grapeseed or sweet almond in a ratio of one to five drops of essential oil per teaspoon of carrier oil to avoid irritation.

Sue

 

[billysmom]

I keep the treated cotton balls in the pockets of jackets and tucked into folded sweaters as well as in the corners of drawers and storage boxes. Being fairly new to multiple felt hats I'm still working out my system. I currently have loose hats inside plastic bags with the cotton ball sitting on a part that does not touch the hat. The ones in boxes just have the cotton ball drifting loose inside the box.

Sue

 

[ScottF]

I keep the treated cotton balls in the pockets of jackets and tucked into folded sweaters as well as in the corners of drawers and storage boxes. Being fairly new to multiple felt hats I'm still working out my system. I currently have loose hats inside plastic bags with the cotton ball sitting on a part that does not touch the hat. The ones in boxes just have the cotton ball drifting loose inside the box.

Sue

Thanks for the info Sue!

 

[Boodles]

I'm sorry to quiz you over and over but...

I keep the treated cotton balls in the pockets of jackets and tucked into folded sweaters as well as in the corners of drawers and storage boxes. Being fairly new to multiple felt hats I'm still working out my system. I currently have loose hats inside plastic bags with the cotton ball sitting on a part that does not touch the hat. The ones in boxes just have the cotton ball drifting loose inside the box.

Sue

So from what I read here you are not much concerned about the oiled cotton balls coming into contact with the lining of a pocket or even touching a folded sweater but you do not want the cotton ball to touch a felt hat? I assume the oil will stain the hat. I was a little concerned that the oil would pass through a pocket lining and stain a wool tweed jacket.

Another thing which may be of interest to you is that I've read here (someplace) concerns about what the effects of keeping hats in plastic bags might have on the leather sweatbands. I guess no air circulation could lead to mold or even "dry rot" of the leather. Hummm.

 

[billysmom]

The essential oil has a faint yellow tint to it. I never worry about stainng through pockets and two drops of "oil" (it's not particularly greasy) in a cotton ball will not stain a sweater. I am a bit concerned about it touching a visible surface of a fine felt hat, however. Otherwise, I'd tuck the cotton ball into the sweat band.

The plastic bags are loose - not sealed. I want air circulation but I also want the volatile components of the essential oil to remain around the hat to repel critters.

Hmm - that gave me a thought: maybe I'll try putting the cotton ball in tissue paper to stuff into the crown!



Sue

 

[Colby Jack]

What about wrapping in tin foil and poking pin holes in it?[huh]

 

[Boodles]

Mr Jack, I like the tin foil idea but....

What about wrapping in tin foil and poking pin holes in it?[huh]

I wonder if you could make the foil packet porous enough to get the oil vaporized? I'm thinking all that surface area of the cotton ball is going to aid in the distribution of the good stuff. For sure, the foil would eliminate the fretting over the oil coming into contact with anything which might be stained.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I have just cottonballed the shelves in my closet.....

So how long before I need to renew the oil on the cottonballs???

In other words, how long does the oil repel ......

 

[billysmom]

It depends on how much air circulation you have. I give them another few drops of oil once a month or 6 weeks.

(Doesn't it smell better than moth balls?)

Sue

 

[Ordinary Guy]

It depends on how much air circulation you have. I give them another few drops of oil once a month or 6 weeks.

(Doesn't it smell better than moth balls?)

Sue

I can't tell, I am so buggy myself it repels me......lol

Seriously it is nice smelling and I have my hats in a closet with extra shelves built into it. I placed a cotton ball after every two hats.

Once a month sounds good to me,, I shall re oil my closet monthly...

Thanks

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

I'm curious if this lemon eucalyptus is more effective than citronella, and if so, why? It's hard to tell the difference in them, scent-wise.

 

[billysmom]

I'm curious if this lemon eucalyptus is more effective than citronella, and if so, why? It's hard to tell the difference in them, scent-wise.

Both contain the aldehyde citral as a major component of their chemistry. That's probably most active in their insect repelling properties. It's the rest of the "black box" of their chemical composition that differentiates them. Both may be equally effective, but it's the eucalyptus citriodora that has the research studies on humans that show its efficacy.

Sue

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I am truly amazed at the scent once I open the door of the closet...

I think when I notice that the aroma begins to slacken, I will reoil (if there is such a word) at that time....

such as easy thing to do , a couple of drops for protection.......

 

[ScottF]

I am truly amazed at the scent once I open the door of the closet...

I think when I notice that the aroma begins to slacken, I will reoil (if there is such a word) at that time....

such as easy thing to do , a couple of drops for protection.......

Oil arrived last week and I just started using - I picked up the cotton shields that look like a package of ritz crackers.

I agree - smells good. Thanks, Sue.

 

[ScottF]

Clothing moths only feed on wool and other items that are stored in warm dark places. They will not stay on items that are used all the time and see the light of day.

I couldn't find an appropriate thread for my question, but this one looks pretty good.

I have two 5-hat hatracks screwed to my wall - it's a small studio condo with plenty of light. I catch moths fluttering from beneath my hats almost daily. I interrogate them and remove a wing, but apparently they aren't taking the message back to their buddies. Yesterday I finally caught two chewing on the underside of a hat crown - a hat sitting on the hatrack in broad daylight. These were actual tiny moths and one had his head attached to felt. This was disturbing, and goes against what I've read on the lounge.

Outside of the ten hats that are sitting on racks (the metal ones where the hats hang on circular wires), I am using the 'lemon eucalyptus' method suggested by Billysmom - I place a cotton pad with a few drops beneath any hat sitting out, or 2 pads in any box storing a hat. No evidence that the moths are touching those hats.

For now, I'm going to sell all but 10-15 hats (we also have a major sneezing issue each time I clean hats), and keep all of those except two in boxes - the two I keep out will always be resting above a heavily-scented pad. We're moving soon, so each hat that goes with me will get the freezer treatment. I also have flannel baseball uniforms and lots of wool items - all with the pads nearby, which will get a dry-cleaning before the move.

Any suggestions on how to get rid of the current moths, and to keep them from returning?