Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-05-25
|NSUR|NC CLOTHES AGAINST
DAMAGE BY MOTHS
Use Moth Preventive Measures When
You Put Winter Garments Away in
Spring or They May BE round Well
Perforated in the Fall.

This is the time of the year when
the little moth gets busy. 1t is much
easier to bar him from your wardrobe
than 1t is to put him out afterwards
and repair the damage. Early in the
spring is the time to use the "ounce
of prevention" The moth is no dis
criminator of persons or things; the
school girls half worn wooden gloves
or your new bolivia coat with the
squirrel collar are all one to him
when he starts on his perforating pill
grimage
oWolen stuffs and fur are his ia
Vorlte materials. Eternal vigilance
seems the only successful method of
protecting WOODEN garments from the
pests. Garments which are used
from time to time all summer can not
be wrapped, but must hang in the
closet and wardrobe ready for uneX-
pected changes in the weather, but
they will keep in good condition. the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture suggests, il the following pre-
cautions are carried out:
Keep the closet or wardrobe clean
If possible, hang garments in closet
that has a window. Brush clothes
thoroughly at regular intervals. Turn
pockets wrong side out, cuffs down
and brush. Brush under lapels, plaits
and the top of hens. Every one
knows how much dust collects in all
Of these crevices of clothing If this
dust is not allowed to remain the
moths will not have as good lodging
place.
PrecautiOn in Storing.
The larger part of ones winter
wardrobe is usually carefully put
away in the spring to remain stored
until cold weather appears again.
Some people are fortunate enough to
be able to send their clothing to stor-
age company which makes business
of seeing that moths do not damage
garments left in it's care. The rank
and file, however, still have to follow
grandmoher's methods and pack their
clothes in trunks or cedar chests or
wrap them up and store them on the
closet shelf.
In the fall, when they are unpack-
ed. there is always the fear that in
spite of your care the moths may have
found way in during the summer.
Much of this anxiety would be un-
necessary il the garment were made
absolutely clean when stored away
and if it were packed in as nearly ar
air-tight way as possible.
Thorough brushing should remove
all moths and eggs but hanging for a
day in the sun and wind also helps
When the garment is clean. the next
step is to wrap up so carefully that
the moths can not reach it. This can
be done in several ways: Sew it up
in strong, brown wrapping paper: use
pasteboard boxes and seal with strips
Of gum paper or place the garment in
paper bags which are sold for storage
purposes. A most effective method
is to pack the clothing in a trunk,
sprinkling in freely naphthalene
flakes; when filled place a soup plate
on top Of the clothing and place three
O fcarbon disulphid in
the plate. Care must be taken in
using disulphid to keep all names
away from its fumes as these are as
explosive as gasoline.
Naphthalene fakes or moth balls
alone, using 2 pounds in an ordinary
trunk are almost effective for pro-
tecting clothes from moth infestatlon
and for killing all stages OF the in
sect. Camphor is less effective, and
while red-cedar chests readily Kill all
adult moths they do not prevent the
Matching of moth eggs. Tests show
that the following substances often
used for the purpose possess no Vaiue
as moth "repelents:" Tobacco ex-
tracts and powders. lavendar flowers
CAYENNE pepper. allspice, cloves, an
gelica root. black pepper. borax. COLO
cynth pulp, eucalyptus leaves. FORM
aldehyde. hellebore, lead carbonate,
lead oxide. lime. quassia chips, sod
ium bicarbonate. and sodium carbo-
nate.
Brushing. busting with naphtha-
lene flakes or pyrethrum powder ana
careful wrapping are the best lnsur-
ance against moths. Placing in
cedar chest provides additional safety.