Cloves!
I received an email from a friend over the weekend. She recently visited a neighbor . . . well, I will let her tell it:
I was at my neighbor’s today and she was showing me some improvements to her home. They will have a seperate room, yes a whole room, to show off family heirlooms so relatives can come take a look through.
She had baby clothes from grandmother (one of her grandmother’s sets when she was a child) that was dated circa 1887. Next to it was the grandmother’s mother’s (call the grammar police!) hand knitted socks in perfect condition but stored in a knitted bag. These sock were knit somewhere around 1885-1900. They were beautiful and so fine! The needles must have been ones.
Okay, now for the idea…I recommended to her to store her knits with cloves rather then mothballs (because of the toxicity and smell of the mothballs) to keep the moths out of them as the room is right next door to the pantry where pet foods and flours are stored (both famous for bringing moths or silverfish into the home). Just thought the proper care of woolens might be a helpful hint one day…..
Thanks, my friend
And, for all of you, my faithful readers, I have gone out to look for some sites that talk about just that:
City Line’s Seasonal Storage
a series of Q&A about the subject at Mothproofing Wool Fiber and Felt
I’m sure that there are a lot of other sites with great information out there. Why don’t you leave a comment and share YOUR favorite method of storage and insect repellant.
moth repellent, wool, fiber, knits, seasonal storage, cloves, mint, lavender, natural repellants
April 4th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Hi Barbara,
There’s always the good ol’ cedar chest or closet. Also, smelly herbs like lavender, rosemary, etc. will help to repel moths and such. There are numerous “recipes” online and many herb companies sell “moth chasers” and mixes.
bobbi c.
http://www.weheartcats.com
http://www.earthlygarden.com
April 4th, 2007 at 8:58 am
I didn’t know cloves could be used that way. Interesting!
April 4th, 2007 at 10:17 am
thanks, Emma. I had not heard of it, either. I love it when friends come up with such info.
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