How Can I Repel Moths Without Toxic Chemicals?

Clothes moths have to smell your clothing in order to find it. The principal behind most insect “repellents” is that they mask the smell of the clothing by covering it with something else. The insects don’t respond properly to the odors that would normally attract them because the new smell preoccupies their sense of smell.

The most likely mode of action of an effective non-chemical repellent is to confuse and disorient the egg-bearing adult female so she cannot locate and lay her eggs in a potential food supply.

A cedar chest, cedar closet, or cedar chips, provided they are fresh enough to still send out the cedar smell, will do the job of covering the clothing smell and confusing the moths. Another possibility is herbal sachets.

Herbal moth repellents usually consist of dried herbs packaged in small cloth bags as sachets.

Any strong fragrant herbal product that masks the wool odor may have potential as a repellent. Many different pre-packaged products are available. To prepare your own mix, choose a few from the list below:

Annuals: Camphor Basil, Pennyroyal, Sweet Marjoram,

Perennials: Rosemary, Sweet or French Lavender, Patchouli, scented Geraniums.

Hardy perennials: English Lavender, Pyrethrum Daisy Chrysanthemum, Sweet Woodruff, Tansy, Southern wood, Wormwood.

Shrubs & Trees: leaves, needles and wood shavings from: Balsam Fir, Eastern Red cedar, Rocky Mt. Juniper, California Laurel, Eucalyptus, Pinion Pine, and Sassafras.

Submitted by Sharon Stevens, HES Extension, College of Human Environmental Sciences,
University of Missouri-Columbia