8 Tips on How to Prevent Pests in Your Custom Closets

Dave Kushner • May 15, 2020

Custom closets are essential for people who want to ensure that their items are in place and organized. However, these spaces are often prone to welcoming unwanted guests due to the dark, cool, and sometimes moist conditions.

If you leave your closets undisturbed for long periods of time, they can start to attract different types of pests that are notorious for chewing on your clothes such as carpet beetles, moths, silverfish, and crickets. It's hard to notice these tiny pests, but before long, you will start to see the damage to your clothes.

To stop that from happening, here are nine simple tips that you can follow to prevent those pests from getting into your custom closets and taking a chunk out of your favorite pair of jeans. Let's get into it!

How Do I Prevent Pests in My Closets?

1. Vacuum Every Corner of Your Closet

First things first, if you want to keep any sort of pests or insects out of your closet, then you need to pick up a proper maintenance and cleaning routine. This means vacuuming every corner of the closet and getting all those hard to reach spaces that require a little more effort to get to.

Pests love to hide away out of sight, so if you have any drawers or shelves, make sure you give them a good cleaning as well. If your custom closets have any carpet or fabric materials inside, then make sure you pay extra attention to those areas and vacuum them thoroughly.

2. Inspect Older Clothes That You Don't Wear Often

If you have clothes in your closet that have been in there for years, but just don't quite feel ready to throw them away, you’re not alone. Maybe it's a sentimental hand me down or a vintage piece of clothing that you would like to keep. If so, you will need to check that there aren’t any hidden pests hiding in the pockets or seams.

Insects and pests love fabrics including wool, cotton, silk, and leather, so if you have any of those materials in your closet, then keep an eye on them too.

A good rule of thumb is to take all of your unworn clothes out of your closet and wash them at least once every few months. This also helps to keep bad odors at bay.

3. Keep Clothes with Food Stains Away from Your Closet

Certain types of pests are attracted to food, such as cockroaches and silverfish. Yep, you definitely want to keep those pests away!

If you have any clothes that have food stains or any leftover food in the pockets, then you are inviting a bunch of nasty critters into your custom closets.

4. Use Insecticides

If you feel that you have any pests in your closets already, then you need to act fast. Insects reproduce at an alarming rate. If you don't get rid of them fast, you could have a full-blown infestation on your hands, and nobody wants that.

Most people don't like to use insecticides because they smell pretty bad and can discolor and damage clothing, so try to only use this if it's absolutely necessary. Before you spray down your closet, remove all items before you continue. If you do suspect an infestation, then this could also be a good opportunity to wash your clothes thoroughly while you treat your closet.

Insecticides will kill any pests that you have in your closet and will also act a strong repellant to for a short while afterwards. The only downside is that most of the domestic insecticides that you can buy are very strong smelling and contain a variety of harmful chemicals.

If you would rather stay away from using chemicals in your closet then there are alternatives. Mix together equal parts of vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spray all of the affected areas of your closet, ensuring you cover all corners, cracks and crevices. While this is less effective than using insecticide, it’s far less harmful.

5. Use Dried Lavender

Lavender repels insects such as moths, fleas, beetles, flies, and mosquitos, all while adding a sweet-smelling fragrance to your closet and the clothes inside. Here are a few ways that you can use dried lavender:

Make lavender sachets
Use lavender essential oils
Spray a lavender solution on your clothes
Put fresh lavender in your closet drawers and on your shelves

6. Store Only Clean Clothes

Before you put any of your clothes back in your closet, make sure that they are clean. Even if you wore them for only a few hours and they pass the "smell test," it's always best to give them a wash first.

This is especially important for clothes made of wool, silk, or any type of cloth that has the potential for attracting insects If you have been eating or were in the presence of food, the lingering odors can cling to the fabrics and attract unwanted visitors.

7. Use Cedar

Like lavender, cedar has been used as a natural repellent for pests and insects for a long time. Simply grab yourself some cedar chips or cedar blocks and place them in your closet. Be aware that cedar has a natural oil that can damage your clothes and potentially stain them.

You can place cedar chips into a breathable container and place it in your closet to stop this from happening. Not only does cedar keep the insects away, but it also acts as a deodorizer and helps to prevent the spread of mold and mildew. Plus, cedar smells lovely, so why not have some in your custom closet?

8. Keep Your Closets Clutter Free

Sometimes it can be easy to let your closets get a little overrun with items that you've picked up over the years. However, having a cluttered closet makes it much easier for the bugs to hideaway. Cluttered closets usually suffer from things like mold, damp, and moisture, too, creating the perfect living conditions or these nasty critters.

Do yourself a favor and have a clear out in your closet. Try to keep it organized and avoid overcrowding in all areas. Not only will this keep pests away, but it will also help to keep your clothes smelling fresher for longer and give you less of a headache when you're deciding what to wear each morning.

Final Word

There you have it! It's far easier to prevent pests from entering your closet than it is to remove them once they've already found a home. Make sure you do all you can to make your custom closet as inhospitable to potential pests as possible.

Try not to invite them in with food-stained clothes that you forgot to wash. If pests are present, give your closet a deep clean, vacuuming every corner of it before spraying it down with closet repellent or a mixture of vinegar and water.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

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