Six Easy Steps To Protect & Store Your Cashmere
The wonderful thing about cashmere, one of natures finest natural fibres, is its temperature regulating properties which when knitted into garments is perfect for wearing whatever the season. Some of our best selling Cashmere Jumpers and Cashmere Ponchos have become real summer favourites amongst our customers who love to wear when travelling, on cool summer evenings or as a perfect holiday cover up.
However, as the hotter weather approaches and the moth season begins (April to September), a lot of us start to think about bringing out our lighter clothing and maybe storing away our winter weights. We do suggest that when you are not wearing your cashmere, whatever the season, it is advisable to fold and store in a way that protects your garments from damage and moths, who simply search out cashmere upon which to lay their eggs, thus causing catastrophic damage to your cherished pieces. To read more why not read our blog, Do Moths Eat Clothes?
So to help you, we have put together a guide in 6 easy steps.
- Firstly carefully wash your item before storing according to the recommended instructions. (All our cashmere can be machine washed at 30 degrees, spun and dried flat). We have just introduced a new range of eco- washes into our range by The Clothes Doctor. These contain natural ingredients which not only wash your cashmere with care but help to deter moths.
- We then recommend a light spray of "Anti Moth Linen Spray" making sure it is fully dry before folding.
- Fold your knitwear carefully using a folding board or by hand into a suitable size for bagging.
- To help deter moths further and to keep your cashmere knitwear fragrant and fresh, we recommend placing an Anti Moth Sachet between the folded sweaters. These can also be placed in drawers and on shelves to protect all items of clothing and keep your wardrobe or room smelling sweet.
- Store your carefully folded, treated cashmere knitwear in specially designed Knitwear bags, usually 2 or 3 at a time. It is convenient and satisfying to store by colour or type and label the outside of the bag for easy selection. Our Knitwear Storage Bags are made of breathable material, stack easily and have clear, see through sides which make it very easy to see what is inside.
- Finally and the best method of keeping moths away from your clothes and one of the best investments you can make is the purchase of a Moth Box. These specially designed traps placed at the bottom of your wardrobe or under your furniture in dark places, will attract the male moths before the females have chance to lay their eggs and stop the cycle. You will be able to see what sort of a problem you have by checking the boxes. The more moths that are trapped, the bigger the problem you have. These should be replaced after around 10 to 12 weeks in the hot season.
Another handy hint for any of you who feel that your cashmere might have been exposed to moths (maybe during a visit to a friends house or by being left outside on a hot summer evening). Place your bagged cashmere into the deep freeze and leave overnight. Yes really! The sudden drop of temperature to below freezing will kill off any eggs that have been laid and stop any damage occurring.
We hope that this information might be of help and not frighten you too much. I have owned cashmere for years and been very lucky in never having any damage caused by moths, but each home and each area of the country varies so much in terms of moth activity and London seems to have been particularly prone to moths in recent years.
We do sell a range of Cashmere Care products which we have tried and tested over the years so that we can be confident in recommending them to our customers.