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sarky_gw

Painting pantry rid us of moths?

sarky
21 years ago

We have had a problem with moths and larvae in our pantry. I have gotten rid of all the food. Will painting the walls and shelves keep any eggs from hatching or will the little critters just burrow out ot the paint? Thanks

Comments (3)

  • lindac
    21 years ago

    You bring them in every time you bring flour or cereal into your house.
    I would dust the pantry with borax, being careful to get it in all the cracks....then vacuum it up and wipe the shelves with a damp cloth, and before I put everything back I would lay a lot of bay leaves down on the shelves. Don't know why that helps but it does!
    Linda C

  • lazy_gardens
    21 years ago

    Sarky -
    The CLEANING and SEALING that goes along with painting is what does it. Sanitation works. It's the only thing that works.

    Remove everything you can including drawers, shelves and light fixture covers, vacuum thoroughly paying special attention to cracks, (take the bag RIGHT to the trash), then wash down the shelves and walls with a mild detergent.

    Take a tube of bathtub caulking and seal ALL the cracks along the floor, at the top of the basebords, around the door molding, around the light switch, above and below any non-removeable shelving ... leave them NO place to hide out.

    One trick to keeping them out of seldom-used things is to put them into sealed jars, freeze the stuff for a couple of days and then put it on the pantry. Keeping purchases in tightly sealed containers (air-tight) will prevent an infestation from spreading. Transfer everything (except cake mixes or cereals with the heat-sealed tops on an airproof liner) to air-tight containers.

    Clean up all spills immediately, always OPEN things from the supermarket to make sure they aren't infested, and if you see one (just ONE) grain moth, go on another cleanliness and sealing crusade.

  • Roberta_z5
    21 years ago

    Little cheesecloth bags of dried bay leaves works wonders! I even keep a little bag in the dog food container. You don't have to put them inside your flour or cereal, just hang the bags in the pantry and the pantry pests will go elsewhere!!