Storing your winter woollens

With the warmer weather now well underway, it’s tempting to stuff your heavy woollens in the back of your wardrobe without really considering storage or the possible damage caused by any nasty visitors. But, any unwelcome surprises can be easily avoided by simply storing your woollens properly.

It’s likely the only way you’ll know if you have moths, is when you see the holes and it’s too late. They love woollens that are packed away in dark places, so if storing your woollens for a few months, prevention is far better than any patching up you can do later on.

Preparation & Storage

Dust and dirt can dull the appearance of your woollens and is the biggest attraction for moths. So any clothing that you’re storing should be clean or brushed vertically before you pack it away. This will help to remove any food stains or body oils which could eventually form into stains.

Clothing should be laid flat on a bed or towel for an hour prior to storage, as woven garments need to be exposed to fresh air in order to remove everyday odours including food and cigarettes.

If storing in plastic sealed bags, then fold favourite garments with a clean cotton tea-towel or acid-free tissue paper as this can help prevent condensation, especially if storing for a long time.

Mothballs

Although you can use moth repellents, they should not come in direct contact with your clothes; instead you could try wrapping them in a muslin cloth to protect your garments from moth attacks. Ultimately mothballs not only smell horrible, but they omit chemicals and vapours that will kill insects and you probably don’t want that next to your skin afterwards.

However, they are affective so if you want to use them, make sure you periodically check your woollens and replace the mothballs. Remember, chemical moth repellents are toxic so always use in accordance with the directions and keep away from children and pets.

Cedar balls

Cedar balls can be effective, as they contain natural oils that moths don’t like. However they can lose their potency pretty quickly, so make sure to keep them fresh by regularly sanding the balls or rubbing with cedar oil, but you need to be very careful that the oil doesn’t come into direct contact with your clothes.

Lavender

There’s another reason why we traditionally like having lavender bags in a clothes drawer, as not only does it make everything smell nice, but it’s also said to deter moths.

So to help keep any moths at bay, try putting a small drop of Lavender oil in your wash. Its scent will infuse itself into the woollen fibres of your clothes, helping to deter any moths that may be looking to munch on your clothes.

Alternatively, if your woollens are stored in a wooden drawer, you can use a little lavender oil to clean the drawer and then line with some tissue to prevent any residue getting onto your clothes.

Damage control

Already too late? If you check your woollens and find you have a few holes, you should make sure to thoroughly clean the affected clothes and then store again in a separate container to everything else, to prevent any larvae from spreading throughout your wardrobe. Wool Overs woollens are machine washable, but if you can’t launder the item properly, freezing them for over 12 hours can help kill any larvae that has been left.

If in a drawer, then we’d recommend washing the other items and give the drawer a good wash, before putting the items back in.

More information about general care for your Wool Overs woollens.