By Ava Moore

Lavender buds are a good way to drive moths away. Much better than mothballs because it is pet friendly.

Image added by Michael.

I am concerned that not enough is being done by the manufacturers and sellers of mothballs to make sure they are safe. Not only are mothballs dangerous to cats but also dogs and humans and other animals. They give off fumes which can be absorbed by the skin. Just breathing the air can make a person very ill.

They are eaten by dogs. Why does a dog eats mothballs? Do they taste nice? I don’t know. It seems strange to me. Can’t the people who make them put something in them to make them taste like some anti-freezes which have a bitter flavor to stop cats drinking it?

I know the insecticide is being changed to make them safer but even the new mothballs make animals ill. The packets are full of health warnings. Not a good sign. Should we buy anything with warnings like this on the box?

All pet owners should not have mothballs in the home. They should be thrown out immediately and clothes that smell of mothballs should be aired to remove the smell. These clothes may be dangerous. This insecticide: naphthalene is the very poisonous one so look for it on the package. I don’t use mothballs. Do we have to use them? If clothes are in storage for a long time they should be given to charity.

If the people who make mothballs can’t make them safe for pets then pet owners should stop buying them. This means about half of all people in America. That’ll make them do something about selling something which is dangerous to animals.

There are ways to get rid of moths and stop their larvae eating clothes without using mothballs or one of the other repellents with the same dangerous insecticide in it.

You can make sachets out of these ingredients:

• 8 ounces whole cloves
• 2 ounces each dried rosemary and mint
• 1 ounce each dried thyme and American ginseng

I don’t know if it works but it is worth trying. Cinnamon sticks work, I think. The trouble is the clothes smell of cinnamon. Putting dry cleaned clothes in cedar boxes works because cedar drives moths away. And so does cloves and lavender buds.

Only clothes that have been well cleaned should be stored away. Moths like dirty clothes.

An important part of getting rid of moths is to get rid of the larvae. The best way is with careful vacuuming. Do it really well. And throw out those clothes you have not used for years or give them to charity shops. You’ll feel better about it too.