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Insight · Wool Care
How to Store Wool Clothes and Keep Moths Out
The short answer
To store wool clothes, clean them first, let them dry completely, and put them away somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Fold sweaters and lay them flat. Hang wool jackets and shirt jacs on wide, shaped hangers inside breathable garment bags.
To keep moths out, store only clean wool, keep it closed off in a lidded bin or a zipped bag, add cedar or lavender as a deterrent, and check your wool every month or two. If you find larvae, freezing the item for several days is a well-established home fix.
Every spring, a man puts his wool away and hopes for the best. Every fall, some of those men find a hole in the front of their favorite sweater. The hole was not bad luck. It was a small, pale larva that spent the summer eating a sweater that went into the drawer with a little sweat and a little supper still in it.
Storing wool well is not hard. It is mostly about what you do in the hour before the clothes go away. Here is the routine we use for our own sweaters, shirt jacs, vests, and wool jackets.
Why moths go after wool
The damage is not done by the moth you see fluttering near a light. It is done by the larvae. Clothes moth larvae feed on animal fibers like wool, and they much prefer fabric that is soiled with food, sweat, or body oil. University extension services say it plainly: insects are less likely to feed on clean fabric than on dirty fabric. They also like dark, undisturbed places, which describes the back of most closets in July.
That gives you three levers: keep the wool clean, keep it closed off, and disturb it often enough that nothing settles in.
Our wool is a blend, and it still needs protecting. Every Buffalo Jackson wool piece, from the Crewneck and Quarter Button sweaters to the Yukon, Riverton, and Aberdeen shirt jacs, the Wesley and Ellis jackets, and the Ashton vest, is a wool blend. The wool brings the warmth and its natural odor resistance. The blend adds durability, helps each piece hold its shape, keeps the weight and the cost down, and is often softer against the skin.
What a blend does not do is make wool moth-proof. Moths go for natural fibers, and the wool in a blend is still food. Store our blends the same careful way you would store anything made of wool.
How to store wool clothes, step by step
1. Clean everything before it goes away
This is the step that matters most. Even a sweater you wore once can carry enough skin oil to draw larvae. Wash sweaters that can be washed, following the care label and our guide on how to wash a wool sweater. Have wool jackets dry cleaned or cleaned as their label directs; see how to clean a wool jacket or shirt jac. Brush everything to lift lint and dust, and take care of pills now with our guide on removing pills from a wool sweater.
2. Let it dry completely
Wool holds moisture without feeling wet. Give washed pieces an extra day of air before you pack them. Damp wool in a closed bin invites mildew and a musty smell that is harder to fix than a wrinkle.
3. Fold sweaters, hang jackets
Knits stretch under their own weight, so sweaters should be folded. A wool jacket or shirt jac is a structured garment, and it keeps its shoulders best on a hanger.
- Sweaters: fold in thirds with the sleeves across the back, and lay them flat. Put the heaviest on the bottom and do not stack them too high.
- Wool jackets and shirt jacs: hang them on wide, shaped wooden hangers. Button the front so the jacket keeps its line. Empty the pockets.
- Wool vests: either works. A vest is light enough to hang on a shaped hanger, or it can be folded flat with the sweaters.
Never hang a sweater on a wire hanger. It will leave shoulder bumps that take a wash to remove, and it will stretch the body over a season.
4. Choose the right container
You want the wool closed off from moths without trapping moisture. Here is how the common options compare.
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Breathable cotton or canvas garment bag | Wool jackets and shirt jacs on hangers | Must zip fully closed. Moths get in through gaps. |
| Lidded plastic bin | Folded sweaters and vests | Only for clean wool that is completely dry. Add a cedar block and check it now and then. |
| Cedar chest or cedar-lined closet | Folded knits and blankets | The scent fades over years. The chest still needs to close tightly. |
| Vacuum storage bags | Short-term travel, not a season of storage | Long compression can flatten wool, crush a nap, and crease sherpa collars. |
| Dry cleaner's plastic bag | The ride home from the cleaner | Take it off. It traps moisture and chemical residue against the cloth. |
Breathable bags and sealed bins are not rivals. Use a bag for the jackets that hang and a bin for the knits that fold. Both work when what goes in is clean and dry.
5. Add cedar or lavender
Cedar and lavender are deterrents, not treatments. Moths dislike the smell, and cedar oil can harm the smallest larvae, but neither one will stop an infestation that is already underway. Think of them as a fence, not an exterminator.
- Cedar: blocks, rings, or hang-ups work. The oil that does the work fades with time. When the scent goes quiet, sand the surface lightly with fine sandpaper to open fresh wood, and it will smell like cedar again. Keep raw cedar from resting directly on light-colored wool, since the oil can mark fabric.
- Lavender: dried lavender sachets smell good and add a second deterrent. Replace or refresh them each season.
Mothballs work, but they leave a harsh smell in the cloth and they are toxic, which is why many men with kids or dogs skip them. If you use them, follow the package directions exactly and air your wool well before wearing it.
6. Pick the right spot
Cool, dark, dry, and not the attic. Heat and humidity speed up everything that goes wrong with stored wool. A bedroom closet shelf or the space under a bed is usually better than a garage or basement. Keep stored wool out of direct sun, which fades dye.
7. Check it every month or two
Moths like to be left alone. Open the bin or unzip the bag, shake out a piece or two, and look. Ten minutes every few weeks is the cheapest moth protection there is.
Signs you have moths
- Small, irregular holes, often on the front of a sweater, under the collar, or in folds and seams.
- Thin or grazed patches where the surface of the knit looks eaten down.
- Fine, silky webbing or small silken tubes in hidden folds.
- Tiny pellet-like droppings, often the same color as the wool.
- Small, pale caterpillars, or small buff-colored moths that flutter away from light instead of toward it.
If you find any of these, pull everything from that drawer, bin, or closet section. Check each piece in good light, clean the space thoroughly, vacuum the corners and shelf edges, and deal with the affected pieces before anything goes back.
How to freeze wool to kill moth larvae
Freezing is a common, well-established way to deal with a moth-infested wool piece without chemicals. University extension guidance says clothes moths can be controlled in a freezer below 18°F, with recommendations ranging from a day to several days. A standard home freezer runs well below that. We err on the side of patience.
- Brush the piece outdoors to knock off any larvae and eggs you can.
- Seal it in a zip-top bag and press out as much air as you can.
- Freeze it for several days. We leave it a full week.
- Take it out and let it come to room temperature inside the sealed bag, so condensation forms on the bag and not the wool.
- Brush it again, then wash or clean it as the care label directs before storing it.
If the infestation has spread through a closet, or the piece is valuable, a professional cleaner or pest control service is worth the call.
Off-season rotation: a simple calendar
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Late spring | Clean every wool piece, dry fully, de-pill, then fold or hang and pack with fresh cedar. |
| Every 4 to 8 weeks through summer | Open bins and bags, shake out a few pieces, look for signs of moths. |
| Early fall | Unpack, air everything outdoors for a day, steam out creases, and sand the cedar before next spring. |
| Through winter | Brush and air after wearing. Wool in use gets disturbed often, which moths dislike. |
Storing leather alongside wool
If you are putting wool away for the summer, your leather jacket is probably going with it. The rules overlap: clean first, wide hangers, breathable covers, and a cool, dry spot. Leather has a few needs of its own, like conditioning before storage and keeping it out of plastic. Read how to store a leather jacket and do both closets on the same weekend.
Wool worth storing well
Crewneck Wool Sweater | Charcoal Gray Fleck
A mid-weight waffle-knit crewneck in a flecked wool blend, with ribbed waist and cuffs. Fold it for storage and it will be ready for the first cold morning. Also in Sea, Wood, and Sunset Fleck in our wool sweaters collection.
$69.95
Shop the Crewneck
Quarter Button Wool Sweater | Charcoal Gray Fleck
The same mid-weight wool-blend waffle knit, with a quarter-button placket, wood buttons, and corduroy trim. Good over an Oxford for dinner or a tee on a Saturday.
$78.95
Shop the Quarter Button
Ashton Wool Herringbone Vest | Clan Blue
A midweight wool-blend vest in a herringbone weave, lined with soft cotton, with YKK antique zippers and front side pockets. Easy to layer under a jacket, and easy to store: fold it flat or hang it on a shaped hanger.
$144.95
Shop the Ashton
Riverton Wool Shirt Jac | Misty Granite
Brushed wool-blend fabric with interior nylon trim and horn buttons. Hang it on a wide hanger with the front buttoned. For a bolder plaid, see the Yukon Wool Shirt Jac in Red Valley Plaid ($184.95) and the full shirt jac collection.
$174.95
Shop the Riverton
Wesley Wool Jacket | Gray
A close-fitting riding-style jacket in a heavyweight wool-blend herringbone, with a polyester sherpa lining and flannel binding in the sleeves. Store it on a wide hanger so the shoulders and sherpa keep their shape.
$239.95
Shop the WesleyFrequently asked questions
What is the best way to store wool sweaters?
Clean them, let them dry completely, fold them, and lay them flat in a lidded bin or drawer with a cedar block. Keep them somewhere cool, dark, and dry, and check them every month or two.
Should wool sweaters be folded or hung?
Folded. Knits stretch under their own weight on a hanger, and hangers leave bumps in the shoulders. Hang structured pieces like wool jackets and shirt jacs instead, on wide, shaped hangers.
Is it OK to store wool in plastic bins?
Yes, if the wool is clean and completely dry. A lidded bin keeps moths out well. The risk is trapped moisture, so never pack damp wool, and do not leave wool in a dry cleaner's plastic bag.
Does cedar keep moths away?
Cedar helps. Its oil repels moths and can harm very small larvae, but it will not stop an infestation already underway, and the scent fades over time. Sand the wood lightly to refresh it, and use it alongside clean storage, not in place of it.
How do you refresh cedar blocks?
When the cedar smell fades, sand the surface lightly with fine sandpaper to expose fresh wood. Do it at the start of each storage season.
Does lavender repel moths?
Lavender is a mild deterrent that moths dislike. It works best as a second layer alongside cedar and clean, closed storage. Replace or refresh sachets each season.
Does freezing wool kill moth larvae?
Freezing is a well-established home treatment. Seal the piece in a bag, freeze it for several days, and let it thaw in the sealed bag before brushing and cleaning it. Extension guidance cites temperatures below 18°F, which a standard home freezer reaches.
How do I know if I have clothes moths?
Look for small irregular holes, grazed or thin patches, fine silky webbing, tiny pellet-like droppings, and small pale larvae in folds and seams. Small moths that flutter away from light are another sign.
Why do moths eat some sweaters and not others?
Moth larvae prefer wool that is soiled with sweat, body oil, or food, and they like dark, undisturbed places. A sweater stored dirty at the back of a closet is the most likely target.
Are Buffalo Jackson wool clothes 100% wool?
No. Our wool sweaters, shirt jacs, jackets, and vest are wool blends. The wool brings warmth and natural odor resistance, and the blend adds durability, helps each piece hold its shape, keeps weight and cost down, and is often softer against the skin. Moths prefer natural fibers, so store our blends clean, dry, and closed off, just like any wool.
Should I store a wool jacket in a garment bag?
Yes. Use a breathable cotton or canvas garment bag that zips fully closed, and hang the jacket on a wide, shaped hanger. Avoid thin plastic covers, which trap moisture.
Xan Hood founded Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. in 2009. He designs our wool sweaters, shirt jacs, outerwear, and leather goods in Matthews, North Carolina.