A Little Bit of History about This Early Summer Home-keeping Ritual
A seasonal home-keeping activity I grew up with was when my Grandmother washed and put away the woolen and winter clothes every spring. Then, she would put them in the cedar closets and add cedar shaving sachets. I had friends whose mothers would use mothballs. But have you ever smelled mothballs – Whoa, that is an aroma. Have you ever been somewhere where someone walked by smelling of mothballs while wearing their fall woolen coat? I didn’t want to be that person. So let me tell you what I do.
How I Found My Herbal Moth-Repellent Recipe
My home-keeping routine is making an herbal moth-repellent potpourri in the spring or early summer. I make them for small muslin bags or large tea strainers to put into the drawers and closets to keep moths away. I came to this conclusion after a favorite sweater had small holes when I pulled it out in the fall. That year, I lived in my first adult apartment and thought I didn’t need to keep this home-keeping routine. This was my lesson to learn – too many holes to patch, and my favorite sweater was gone.
The following year, I started asking others what they did. I was advised on how to use cedar and herbs. Cedar and herbs? As I asked more questions, I was introduced to an incredible group of ladies who belonged to an herb group, Shoreline Herbarist. These ladies shared answers for caring for woolen, along with my newfound love for herbs. So, the recipe for herbal moth-repellent potpourri I’ve used over the years follows.
Here is What I Use for this Seasonal Home-keeping Project
The ingredients vary from what I have on hand from the previous year. Or you could order the items online, and cedar shavings are economical at pet stores. You can create a mixture that has a pleasant scent to you, so choose herbs that appeal to your senses besides deterring moths. Pennyroyal, santolina, and southernwood have distinct scents. Use them if you grow them and enjoy that scent. I cut herbs in the fall and hung them up to dry. When they are dry, I put them in paper bags to keep them dust-free until I need them in the spring.
Moth-repellent potpourri takes a few moments but will save your favorite woolens. It is an early summer seasonal home-keeping ritual that allows us to flow with the season and tie us to our grandmothers. A couple of recipes are below to help you get started on the potpourri. Please play with the amounts until you find one that appeals to your senses and works in your climate. I wish you enjoyment as you begin your seasonal home-keeping rituals.
Basic Seasonal Home-keeping Recipe for Herbal Moth Repellent Potpourri
Have this ingredient for ½ of the mixture:
- Cedar shavings
Use 2-4 of these ingredients for the other ½ of the mixture; these are herbs moths do not like
- Pennyroyal, Lavender, Santolina, Southernwood, Peppermint, or any mint (mice dislike mint also)
Highly Recommended, this works as a fixative for the essential oils, so the scent lasts longer.
- Orris root chips
Use a few of these to round out the scent and to keep the potpourri pungent to deter moths.
- Thyme, Tansy, Bay Leaves
- Rosemary, Lemon Verbena (*See note below on how I grow these)
- Lemon peel (grate peel and let dry on the counter for 1-2 weeks before you make potpourri)
- Whole cloves, Black peppercorns, Broken cinnamon sticks
Drops of any of these essential oils – use 50% more than expected since we are trying to project the smell to keep pests away.
- Cedar, Lemon, Lavender, Eucalyptus
Mix and put into a sealed container or Ziploc bag. Let the blend sit to meld together for a week or more before putting it into sachets. Sachet bags should not be filled with less than ½ cups; the bags need to be large to be effective. Typically, there are two per drawer and four per small closet.
My Favorite Herbal Moth-Repellent Recipe:
If you are looking for measurements, this makes about 4 cups of potpourri
- 1 cup cedar shavings (from a pet supply store)
- ½ cup each of lavender, peppermint, southernwood
- ¼ to ½ cup orris root chips (I like Rose Mountain Herbs for an online source)
- ¼ cup each lemon verbena, thyme, dried lemon peel
- ¼ cup mixed whole cloves, broken cinnamon stick and peppercorns
- 12 drops of each cedar, lemon, and lavender essential oil
Mix and put into a sealed container or Ziploc bag. Let the blend sit to meld together for a week or more before putting it into sachets. These sachet bags should not be filled with less than ½ cups; they need to be more significant to be effective. Typically, two bags per drawer and four bags per small closet.
**Note on how I grow Lemon Verbena and Rosemary:
These two herbs are tender perennials where I live, meaning they could not survive the winter if left outside. As a result, I grow them as annual plants, reluctantly letting them die in the cold. I have tried to winter them inside but have yet to have a Lemon Verbena make it to January. I’ve had some luck with some Rosemary varieties, but they often pass away in mid-February.
I harvest all the lemon Verbena leaves, wash them, and dry them thoroughly for use in teas, potpourris, and cooking. Rosemary, I cut the stems, clean them, and divide them to use. I will let a small portion dry thoroughly to use in potpourris, but I freeze the majority in zipper bags so I can pull out the chop and use it as needed when cooking. If you wish to know more about growing herbs, you can check out the 12+ Herbs to Grow blog.
**** The book Herbal Treasures by Phyllis V Shaudys has a great reference from author Rita Buchanan, who wrote an article in 1987 for The Herbalist Publication—a publication the Herb Society of America published for its members. Ms Buchanan has also authored and co-authored many gardening books.
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