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Posted By: Happy_Camper Wool Storage - 08/28/21




I have a lot of vintage wool jackets, socks and everything in between.

I just saw a couple of moths recently. I haven't figured out if they were pantry moths or wool moths. I think pantry because last spring I had some bore into grain bags and had to freeze them and throw out some.

My wool socks are in plastic bags with no Ill effects.
The other evening, I decided to vacuum seal my shirts and long johns. Only afterwards did I read a couple of sites that said not to compress wool in a vacuum bag. Right now I plan to just seal the heavy bags, but not use the vacuum.

Has anybody found a successful way to store wool during off season?
Posted By: Reloder28 Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
Zip-Loc bags
Posted By: MarkWV Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
I use a sealed plastic container. Stored in my closet in the main part of the house. No moths in 16 years.

Most of my wool is hunting clothing so I don’t use any deterrents such as moth balls or cedar. It’s just stored in a “common” place within the house.
Posted By: Stophel Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
I just put my wool stuff in big plastic totes. I've never had moth or bug problems.

Mice, on the other hand... those little bastards will chew through anything, and they LOVE to chew up wool.
Posted By: FatCity67 Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
Kinda miss that mothball smell of grandfathers Pendletons.
Posted By: Happy_Camper Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21


I did some reading on the subject and the entomologists say that cedar is a repellant at best. It mainly masks the odors of the wool lanolin . It was noted that the cedar chests are usually designed for the lid to fit snugly and is a good seal against moths.
As long as there are no eggs in the wool and it's dry, sealing it in heavy duty bags should be one of the best ways...

So far, whatever everyone is doing seems to work.

Are there any other methods that have worked?
Posted By: add Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
Originally Posted by Happy_Camper

Are there any other methods that have worked?



Yes, switch to poly-fibers.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
In theory as I haven't tried it: Seal your stuff in a good quality trash bag and a chunk of dry ice inside. As the ice evaporates, it'll fill the bag with CO2 which should suffocate anything inside. Squeeze out as much air as possible before the ice melts.

Here's 1 set of instructions on using dry ice:
Using gloves, wrap 2-3 pounds of dry ice (per 30-gallon bag) in a large rag or old T-shirt. Place the dry ice inside the bag with the clothes or other items to be fumigated. Tie the bag loosely with a twist tie. Seal the bag loosely enough that carbon dioxide gas can escape as the dry ice sublimates.

Posted By: MikeL2 Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
I just hang wool coats, pants, shirts in the basement. Has worked fine for the last 50 years. Doesn't get covered with a bag it unless it gets one of the very rare dry cleanings.

Merino wool long underwear is a whole different story, everything likes to eat that stuff.
Posted By: OldHat Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
I hate what they do to clothes! But I kind of like the tiny buggers flying around the closet. LOL
Posted By: slumlord Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
I haven’t seen dry ice for sale in 30 years
Posted By: ipopum Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21


Dry Ice for sale here is very common. Lots of places have it.
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
It's easy to find here.
Posted By: Happy_Camper Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
In theory as I haven't tried it: Seal your stuff in a good quality trash bag and a chunk of dry ice inside. As the ice evaporates, it'll fill the bag with CO2 which should suffocate anything inside. Squeeze out as much air as possible before the ice melts.

Here's 1 set of instructions on using dry ice:
Using gloves, wrap 2-3 pounds of dry ice (per 30-gallon bag) in a large rag or old T-shirt. Place the dry ice inside the bag with the clothes or other items to be fumigated. Tie the bag loosely with a twist tie. Seal the bag loosely enough that carbon dioxide gas can escape as the dry ice sublimates.


Thanks
Does the dry ice put off any moisture?
This might be good for killing grain moth eggs in grain too, but if it contains any moisture it will cause mold to grow.
Posted By: troublesome82 Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
Biggest thing for me has been to keep them clean and keep the humidity down, which is hard to do in some locales. The only things the buggers got to all these years was my saddle .
Posted By: Rock Chuck Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
Originally Posted by Happy_Camper
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
In theory as I haven't tried it: Seal your stuff in a good quality trash bag and a chunk of dry ice inside. As the ice evaporates, it'll fill the bag with CO2 which should suffocate anything inside. Squeeze out as much air as possible before the ice melts.

Here's 1 set of instructions on using dry ice:
Using gloves, wrap 2-3 pounds of dry ice (per 30-gallon bag) in a large rag or old T-shirt. Place the dry ice inside the bag with the clothes or other items to be fumigated. Tie the bag loosely with a twist tie. Seal the bag loosely enough that carbon dioxide gas can escape as the dry ice sublimates.


Thanks
Does the dry ice put off any moisture?
This might be good for killing grain moth eggs in grain too, but if it contains any moisture it will cause mold to grow.

Dry ice goes directly from a solid to a gas, no moisture at all. It's been commonly used in grain to kill bugs. I don't know how well it will kill eggs as they use very little oxygen. If it's sealed long enough I would think it would do it, or at least kill them when they hatch.
Posted By: Happy_Camper Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21
Originally Posted by troublesome82
Biggest thing for me has been to keep them clean and keep the humidity down, which is hard to do in some locales. The only things the buggers got to all these years was my saddle .


Those saddles are expensive. I hate those bugs.

That's exactly what I've been reading from the sites that talk about the subject. Here there's high humidity, so there are lots of pests. Running a dehumidifier or air conditioner is the only way to keep the moisture level from getting out of hand.
My dad's good wool suits were the source of an infestation at one point until I hand washed them in Woolite and sun dried them. That's because they were worn daily from morning to evening and dry clean only. The wash removed the eggs and got them good and clean.
They have holes, so rather than darn them perfectly, they will be the basis for my next set of hunting clothes when I make camo smocks for them.
Posted By: Happy_Camper Re: Wool Storage - 08/28/21

Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
Originally Posted by Happy_Camper
Originally Posted by Rock Chuck
In theory as I haven't tried it: Seal your stuff in a good quality trash bag and a chunk of dry ice inside. As the ice evaporates, it'll fill the bag with CO2 which should suffocate anything inside. Squeeze out as much air as possible before the ice melts.

Here's 1 set of instructions on using dry ice:
Using gloves, wrap 2-3 pounds of dry ice (per 30-gallon bag) in a large rag or old T-shirt. Place the dry ice inside the bag with the clothes or other items to be fumigated. Tie the bag loosely with a twist tie. Seal the bag loosely enough that carbon dioxide gas can escape as the dry ice sublimates.


Thanks
Does the dry ice put off any moisture?
This might be good for killing grain moth eggs in grain too, but if it contains any moisture it will cause mold to grow.

Dry ice goes directly from a solid to a gas, no moisture at all. It's been commonly used in grain to kill bugs. I don't know how well it will kill eggs as they use very little oxygen. If it's sealed long enough I would think it would do it, or at least kill them when they hatch.


Good to hear that. 👍That makes a lot of sense.
Krogers carried it for a couple years.
I'll check around for a source.
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