Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-05
Closets Can Be Mothproof
BY ROGER c. WHITMAN
StoF SpeeioI Writer

best, a strip of foam rubber or
felt will do a perfectly fine
job.
OF course, there is still the
cedar planking to line the
walls and ceiling. Even the
floor can be covered with it,
too, although this is strictly
an extra.
Hoodwinked BY SpFoy
However, cedar is not In
expensive lumber these days.
CAS- a matter Of fact, 1t never
really was.) Nor is it required
in order to make a true safe
deposit vault for clothes.
Walls can be put up with
panels Of Masonic, plywOOd
or gypsum wallboard, and
treated regularly with cedar
odor spray; the moths don't
know the difference. The
spray is available wherever
housewares are sold.
The main thing is to make
the closet tight so the Odor
stays in. A leaky closet not
only vitiates the doors repel-
liant quality and its protection,
but also 1t isn't any per-
fumed treat around the rest
Of the house.
A regular closet, Of course,
can be converted into a moth
closet simply by making It
od0r-tight. Here again, new
Innings Of aromatic cedar can
be installed. But it is GER
tainly much easier period
cally to spray the area.
Often a moth closet loses
its moth-repelling qualities
because it is no longer fra
grant. If it is not cedar lined,
all that is needed is a fresh
spraying. However, If the
walls are cedar which have
lost their aroma, all that is
required is to sand off the
surface 80 as to expose a
fresh aromatic layer. In cases
where this hasn't been done
for years, it may be a waste
of time to expect a light sand
ing to do the job. If so, a
plane win be needed to shave
off enough to get down to the
fresh wood.
Must Be Clean
There is another step which
must be taken to insure the
effectiveness of the moth
closet: The closet must be as
scrupulously clean as it pos
sibly can be. Any dust col
lected in cracks between
floorboards or along the base
board or door frame is a
favorite place for moths to
lay their destructive eggs.
Make it a point to vacuum
the closet thoroughly. If there
are appreciate cracks in the
floor, loosen the collected dust
with a Strengthened paper clip
or other stiff wire so the vac
uum cleaner can get it all.
AS for the clothes them
selves, the ultimate in pro-
lection is to have all Of them
dry cleaned before putting
them away. The dry cleaning
chemicals have their own
highly effective repellent
qualities to add to the closets.
This added protection lasts
for several months, even if
the clothes are not put away.
1t also goes without saying
that no woolens should be
stored until they are COM
pletely dry.
It's perfectly true that the
space taken up by a moth
closet is taken out of normal
family use. So it is natural
that many homeowners put
the new closet in the base
ment, where it will be out
Of everybody's way. This
temptation should be firmly
rejected, unless all other pos
SibilitieS are carefully exam
ined. In the first place, base
ments are often damp. A con-
fined space like a closet,
where the door is tightly
closed and the air is COM
pletely stagnant, is the per-
feet invitation for dampneSs
and mildew. Even when base
ments seem as dry as dust,
with nary a damp spot on
walls or floor, if air is con-
fined in a tightly closed
closet, the risk Of mildew is
great.
Heater choses Moisture
The only way to minimize
this danger is to install one
Of those highly effective air
warmers and circulatorS
known as the damp chaser.
This is a rod-Shaped electric