Moth balls and wood ash

January 9, 2004

Dear Marti,

Do you have any suggestions for what I could do to get rid of clothes moths without using moth balls?

Thanks,

Rita

Dear Rita,

I recently had the same question. I picked up an old favorite wool sweater from my closet and half of it fell back on the shelf, thanks to some little winged friends who had been eating it for me. (At least they made the fibers easily compostable.) I didn't want to go the mothball route, either. Traditional moth balls generally contain one of two chemicals that kill moths with their fumes: naphthalene and/or paradichlorobenzene. Not only do these chemicals smell horrible, they are considered toxic and can pose a serious health risk through ingestion and inhalation, especially for young children. There is also a risk of exposure from wearing clothing that has absorbed these chemicals.

So does that mean the only solution is to go naked or wear all synthetic clothing? Luckily, there are some natural and non-toxic scents that also repel moths: lavender and cedar wood. You can purchase alternative mothballs made from cedar balls scented with lavender as well as cedar blocks on hangers you can hang in your closet (I found some at www.gaiam.com). You can also simply use cedar chips, or you can go the route I chose, which is to make your own mothballs. I cut squares of fabric and stuffed them with dried lavender flowers, scented with lavender and cedar essential oils (all available at most health food stores), then tied the fabric corners together to make little sachets. (It's not as Suzie Homemaker as it sounds, it's simple. The directions are online at www.ecocycle.org .) The natural moth balls work more effectively if you contain the clothing you're trying to de-moth in a drawer or clothing trunk rather than just leaving them on a closet shelf . An air-tight container will really do the trick. If you're someone who may be thinking napthalene is a manlier scent than lavender, you could just go with the cedar scents.

Dear Marti,

We use our wood stove quite a bit for heat in the winter time, and generate a lot of ash from it. I have dumped the ash in our compost bin, but I think the volume of ash overwhelms the compost. What do you suggest for disposing of wood stove ash?

Thanks,

Peter R.

Dear Peter,

It must finally be winter with these cold weather questions. I don't know the answer to this one, so I'll turn to my big brother Dan Matsch for advice, which is helpful since he's also Eco-Cycle's compost and organic farming expert. According to Dan, wood ash contains fairly high levels of potassium and can be a useful soil amendment, but as you suspected, Rodger, sometimes too much of a good thing is not so good. Too much ash can tie up other minerals and make them unavailable to the microorganisms in your soil or compost. Almost all Colorado soils can benefit from the addition of some potassium, so rather than dumping all your ash into your compost, Dan suggests spreading a fine dusting of ash on your garden beds and yard. If you are a serious gardener, you might consider getting your soil tested to determine its potassium requirements and get the CSU Extension office to help you calculate how much potassium is in a pound of your ash. Or you could just keep an eye out for yellowing of mature leaves (a possible sign of potassium imbalance). If you do see yellowing on more than one species of plant, consider sharing the ashes with a friend so you can apply less ash per square foot. That, or you could burn less wood and create less ash by bundling yourself in several moth-free sweaters.