Avoiding Moth Damage In Your Storage Unit

10 May 2018
 Categories: , Blog


There are plenty of creepy-crawlies in Australia that make people shudder in disgust or fear. However, you wouldn't think moths are a big deal. Moths are beneficial as part of nature because they help with the pollination of flowers. However, moths can be destructive, especially if they get trapped in a storage unit with personal belongings. Moths and their larvae eat fabric fibres, potentially destroying clothing, furniture covering and carpet. If you have a lot of clothing in storage, you want to avoid this issue in your storage units. To do this, you need to think about how to make that area less appealing to moths.

What Attracts Moths?

One of the most common moth attractants is artificial light. There are several theories as to why this occurs, and one of them is that artificial light disturbs their navigation system. One of the first things you need to look at within and around your storage unit is the location of light bulbs. Do you have one located directly outside the storage unit door? Do you have one inside the storage unit that you leave on all the time? If you have one inside the unit, then you do need to turn it off when you leave the unit. If you have one outside the door, then you need to consider placing moth deterrents inside the unit so they don't hang around and eat your fabrics.

Natural Moth Deterrents

One of the most common moth deterrents is the use of mothballs. However, do not use these in your storage unit without seeking prior permission from the facility owner. Mothballs have a strong, pungent smell which permeates other units around you. Not everybody wants their things to absorb the mothball odour, so ask first what the facility's policy is on the use of them. There are natural moth deterrents you can use which are much more pleasantly scented. 

Lavender, for example, is a herb which humans love, but which moths dislike. You can purchase dried lavender at health food and holistic shops. Put the dried lavender into small mesh bags and hang these around the unit. You can also dip cotton wool balls into lavender essential oil and dot these around your unit for the same effect. Mint is another herb that moths do not like. Dried peppermint in a sachet bag or peppermint oil on cotton wool balls not only send moths packing, but rodents don't like the smell either! Whichever herb you choose, be sure to replace it every three months to keep the odour intensity in the unit.

For further moth damage prevention tips, have a chat with your storage facility owner. They have plenty of advice about keeping pests out of your things.


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