You may be a sufferer from moth holes. It can be from pesky moths in your closet or something else. No worries, whatever it is, this post contains the best tips in this respect!
How Can You Fix Moth Holes?
There are several ways to fix moth holes. For a brief note, you can use a fusible bonding web if it is a 5 millimeters hole. You need to darn if the hole is larger.
Now let us dive deep into the matter.
1. The Darning Method
- Place a darning mushroom under the hole after turning the fabric inside out. The darning mushroom is a wooden mushroom-shaped sewing tool. Its curvature permits your fabric to retain its natural shape and stretch. Alternatively, you may use a light bulb or small bowl. Then start sewing. This way, you won’t be able to see the stitches on the outside while the job is done.
- The next job is to thread the needle. It is a must before sewing. For this, it would help if you covered your moth hole with a thread piece. Experts suggest you cut a minimum of 24 inches or 61 cm long thread. It’s safe. Let fit it through the hole at the top of the needle by proper moistening. And it will be wise to choose a thread color that’s identical or too close to your affected fabric.
- Then sew a circle around the moth hole. It should be around 0.20 inches or 1⁄2 centimeter away from the edge. You need to know where to sew. Therefore it will be great to use a fabric pen to draw a circle around the hole. Then draw a circle around the hole. The hole needs to be well-covered. So ensure that you are 1.3 cm or 1⁄2 inches away from the hole’s edge. Such a running stitch will resist the hole from stretching and ease the repair.
- Now it’s time to sew horizontal stitches along the hole. The stitches need to be evenly spaced. Beyond the hole on both sides, the hole is bound to be fully covered in horizontal lines around 1.3 cm or 1⁄2 inches. Be careful, if you pull the thread to tighten the stitches, you will face puckering. Make sure that the darning blends with the rest of the fabric by employing a darning mushroom or an alternative.
- Afterward, make sure that there is perpendicular to the horizontal stitching across the hole. Before that, don’t forget to cover the entire hole. Employ your needle to do its job over and under the previous stitches for this. It should result in a net over the hole. Remember, it would help best if the weave tightness is the same as the cloth. That means when darning a tight-knit, the stitches should be tight and when darning a loose-knit the stitches should be a bit spaced out.
- Fasten the stitching. For this, you will need to weave the thread. Leave a long end on the thread after getting done with the horizontal and perpendicular weaving. After that, weave several times through your fabric. It will ensure that the thread is in the right position.
- The moth hole needs to be fully closed while you turn your fabric around. By this, when you wear your garment, you will find that the thread is secure. In order to fasten the thread, you may also tie a knot. And when getting done, you may still find the blemish on the cloth even if you match the knit.
2. The Bonding Webs Method
- Before all, turn your garment inside out. Get an ironing board lined with parchment paper to place on the garment. The placement of the material needs to be just upon the hole. And you had better place it on the inside of the material. Thence it will not display while worn.
- Next, put the garment on the ironing board. Afterward, place a parchment paper sheet between your garment and the ironing board. It will prevent the bonding web from sticking to the ironing board cover. You may also use a table or floor lined with cloth in case of not have an ironing board. Please refrain from ironing directly on a wood or stone surface. Extreme heat can destroy everything!
- Now press the hot iron upon the hole for a few seconds. The iron heat should be consistent with your garment type. For instance, put the iron on the cotton setting while dealing with a t-shirt. And note that you merely have to set the iron on the fabric for a few seconds instead of moving it back and forth. It works best with the bonding fabric. You will surely end up scorching the cloth if you leave the iron on it for more than a few seconds. It can leave an irremovable burn mark. So be very careful.
- Afterward, press the hole together with your fingers as much as you can. Then employ your index fingers to gently push the hole closed while the fabric is slightly warm from the iron. It will ease your repair job by reducing the hole size. Else, let not there be any fold or stretch in the fabric. While closing the hole, be as gentle as you can.
- Next, it’s time to cut the fusible bonding web. A small square (around 1⁄2 inch or 1.3 cm wide) will be enough. Now put it on top of the hole. Such a web melts very fast and works superbly to attach two fabrics. You will get it available near you for sure.
- The bonding paper weight should match your fabric. It would help best if you employed a lightweight fusible bonding web for lightweight fabrics like the cotton blouse. On the other hand, get a heavyweight bonding web in case of dealing with heavier fabrics like denim or canvas. The fusible web is a fantastic manmade fiber on which you can rely without any hesitation. Remember, the affected garment must be on top of the parchment paper while doing these all. And let not the bonding web fuse with the ironing board cover when you are done.
- Now put a lightweight fabric piece sew-in stabilizer over the bonding web. Such a fabric stabilizer stabilizes the cloth’s fabric. Especially, it prevents your fabric from stretching. Then cut a 1 inch or 2.5 cm square piece of the stabilizer. It needs to be a bit larger than the bonding web. No worries, you will find fabric sew-in stabilizers in most fabric stores.
- This time you need to put a pressing cloth on top of the fabric. Have some water to dampen it. This will save the iron from the bonding web and stabilizer as a barrier. Aim at the hole’s location. Get a spray bottle. Then spray some water upon the cloth. Dampen the fabric slightly instead of drenching it. This will feed the fusing of the bonding web.
- As a pressing cloth, you may also use any old cotton bed sheet. However, do not shift the bonding web or stabilizer underneath while placing the cloth upon the fabric. The hole will remain unclosed if they move. So be careful.
- After setting your iron on the wool setting, get the iron on the damp cloth. Stay for 10 seconds. The wool setting will help attach to the bonding web perfectly. Refrain from moving the iron while placing it upon the cloth. It will help avoid shifting everything underneath.
- Employ your fingers to flip the garment over and push the hole together. Nonetheless, there will be a tiny hole in your cloth. Interestingly, you can shape and close the hole by using your index. During this, it will begin to bond together. Until the hole is fully closed, keep shaping the hole with your fingers. Please quicken this phase. It would help best if the fabric remains warm.
- Now it’s high time to close the hole completely. So it would help if you press the iron on your garment. Press the iron staying on the right side of the cloth. There is no need to iron on top of the pressing cloth as you are on the other side of the garment. Rather, ironing directly on top of the hole will suffice. If you want to avoid scorching, you won’t allow the hot iron on the fabric for more than 5-10 seconds.
3. The Patching Method
You might not be a fan of darning to fix any moth hole. Then it would help if you go for the patching method! There are two ways of using a patch. You can manage ready-made patches. You will have various shapes out there. On the other hand, you can create a homemade patch by using fusible webbing and fabric scraps. So choose or create which is consistent with your moth shape!
Now follow the steps gradually:
- Before applying your patch, sew a running stitch around the hole. It will help prevent the hole from becoming bigger.
- Then iron your patch in the required position.
- Apply the hand sewing technique to secure it around the edge. Thus, it will be enabled to tackle any wash.
The Freezing Method
Here we go for another easy technique to fix your moth holes. It would help if you follow the steps below!
- Before all, prevent larvae and eggs from making further damage. Mark them to eradicate.
- Get a sealed plastic bag to put the affected items.
- Then put them in the freezer. Only a few days will be enough.
- Now bring out the bag to keep it at room temperature.
4. The Needle Felting Method
It is indeed a quick and easy tactic to fix moth holes. You might have a jumper or cardigan with lots of small holes. In that case, you had better try this. It’s all about fixing holes with little woolly patches. You need a felting needle, a sponge piece, and wool roving in contrasting colors. Now follow these simple steps!
- Put the sponge piece under the hole.
- Then place the wool roving piece over the hole.
- Use the felting needle to stab the wool roving. Do it repeatedly. It will mesh the wool roving fibers with the jumper or cardigan fibers.
Fabric-Wise Solutions for Moth Holes
In this section, we will provide you with a few fabric-based tips. Grab them downright!
Tips for Repairing Moth Holes with Felting Wool
Tips for Repairing Moth Holes in Jumpers
The Ways to Prevent Moths from Eating Your Clothes
Do you agree that prevention is far better than cure? Yes, if there is a moth hole, we will fix it for sure. But isn’t it fair enough to take preventive measures?
Oh yes, then allow us to show the solutions one by one!
1. Learn About Your Enemy First
Unless you know who are the real culprits, you will fall victim again and again. It’s crucial to learn about them if you want to banish them.
You will see different moths types. The brown house moths are one of them. These eight-millimeters long insects have brown or copper color with black-flecked wings. On the other hand, there are beige or light brown clothes moths. These are six or seven-millimeter-long insects having beige or white wings.
If you think that it is the adult moths that eat your garments very badly, then you are WRONG! Rather, you had better criminalize their larvae that require a floor to grow and turn into adult moths. For example, keratin grows in animal fibers such as fur, silk, cashmere, wool, and feathers. Apart from clothes, it is harmful to carpets, blankets, furniture, etc.
Larvae look like little white caterpillars. They are only a few millimeters long. Therefore, you will get them harder to discover. At the same time, it will be wise to search for moth eggs. These eggs are white spheres or tiny beige.
2. Clean out the Closet
Generally, you won’t be able to see moth eggs. So the best approach would be to destroy the space. It will thwart the moths’ life cycle. For this, take your clothes out of the dresser, closet, or wardrobe. Then clean the area thoroughly. One more thing- moths tend to linger on rugs or carpets. So you must clean them too!
Afterward, apply an insecticide there. Use a paintbrush. Leave no room for moths no matter whether it’s about cracks, crevices, or loose floorboards. It would help if you use an aerosol spray insecticide for cleaning carpets and rugs. Cover the entire surface. As an alternative to aerosol, you may use lavender oil mixed with water. It would have been a natural solution. Use a spray bottle in that case.
3. Brush Your Clothing
A clothing brush is a must for preventing moth attacks. Brush your garments regularly if you want to remain hassle-free. Emphasize brushing on seams, folds, and pockets. And it would help best if you employ brush horsehair or boar hair having a wooden handle. Besides, bathe your clothing articles in bright sunlight. This will thwart any larvae out there destroying any remaining moth eggs and ending their life cycle.
4. Go for Machine-Wash
You might have some machine-washable garments that are attacked by a moth infestation. Look, you must wash them at the highest possible temperature to keep them risk-free. Then what if one has non-machine-washable garments?
Well, in that case, you better rely on a professional dry cleaner.
5. Be Smart with Casualties
There may be some garments that already have been attacked by moths while the damages are not repairable at all. In that case, it will be wise to take them out of the home as soon as possible. Use a trash bag. However, if the garment is salvageable, repair it.
6. Vacuum on A Regular Basis
It would help best if you vacuum your home weekly. It is one of the best preventive measures. Clean everywhere no matter if it is closets, shelves, or any other space.
7. Prioritize Cedar
Do you want a sustainable solution instead of a typical wooden closet? Then it will be wise to prefer cedar-made furniture. You will enjoy a long-term solution against the moth issues.
You must be glad to know that cedar comprises natural oils that kill off any potential moth larvae. You may also line drawers with cedar shavings or hamster bedding if the installation seems too costly.
Alternatively, you can mix cedar oil with water. Then get it in a spray bottle to apply to the aimed areas.
8. Prepare a Natural Alternative
The use of chemicals is not safe for all the family members of a family. Therefore, you had better try a natural alternative. Hey, you don’t need to buy on your own. Rather, get any moth-repelling dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, or lavender. Use a drawstring bag to apply to your closets, drawers, and wardrobes. That’s cool!
9. Stock Up on Mothballs
The use of mothballs is indeed a classic technique to prevent moths from eating your clothing articles. Mothballs comprise paradichlorobenzene or naphthalene which is a sheer threat to moths. You don’t have to compromise, you can rely on this!
10. Use A Freezer
You can use a freezer to keep your clothes away from moth attacks. The freezer can be your unsung hero. All you need to do is- put your favorite stuff in Zip-Loc bags and keep them in the freezer for a few days. For any lingering eggs or larvae, the cold temperature is a killer!
11. Apply Airtight Containers
You must have some off-season clothing articles. Then instead of trunks or cardboard boxes, you had better use airtight containers while storing them. The chances are very high that trunks or cardboard boxes will invite moths. And yes, you may use tightly sealed vacuum bags instead of trunks or cardboard boxes.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Question: Does lavender keep away moths?
Answer: Only a few drops of lavender oil will protect your clothes against moth attacks. Besides, it can re-scent pouches that faded over time.
Question: How do I stop moths from eating my clothes?
Answer: There are several ways like washing clothes regularly, keeping the wardrobe well-ventilated, spritzing carpets with lavender, storing clothes carefully, using any natural moth repellent, etc. These will stop moths from eating my clothes
Question: How do I know if moths are eating my clothes?
Answer: You will see some signs when moths attack your clothes such as furrows, excessive shedding from furs, silky tunnels or trenches, tiny tubes clinging, patches of damage, etc.
Question: How do you find a moth nest?
Answer: There might be holes, larvae, or a musty smell on clothes. Else, you can discover webbings or cocoons in cupboard corners. These are some common signs of a moth nest.
Question: Why is my house full of moths?
Answer: Generally, moths come through the window. Else, the chances are very high that they have come home through somebody’s shopping or clothes.
Question: What causes moth infestation?
Answer: The pantry moth or clothes moths are the most common examples of moth infestation. Else, carrying infected products into the home is the most common via to contract a moth infestation. Larvae or eggs can easily hide in food and clothing stuff and become a source of moth infestation.
Question: What is the best moth deterrent?
Answer: The best natural moth repellent, followed by lavender is cedar. Instead of typical wooden furniture, you may regard this as a superbly durable moth deterrent.
Question: Which is better mothballs or cedar?
Answer: Cedar is safer and healthier than mothballs. And it would help best if you rely on a combination with neem oil or other natural repellents with cedar.
Question: Do dryer sheets repel moths?
Answer: Yes, the tumble dryer sheet can be a great moth repeller.
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