Better Ways to Use Mothballs

Protect your clothing, and accomplish these 5 tasks with this easy-to-find item.

Rinse woolens for storage
Of course it is a good idea to store woolens with mothballs to ward off moths. To give your favorite sweaters even more protection, dissolve a few mothballs in the final rinse when you wash them before storage.

Kill bugs on potted plants
To exterminate bugs on a potted plant, put the plant in a clear plastic bag, such as a cleaning bag, add a few mothballs, and seal for a week. When you take the plant out of the bag, your plant will be bug-free. It will also keep moths away for a while.

Repel mice from garage or shed
Don’t let mice spend their winter vacation in your garage. Place a few mothballs around the garage, and the mice will seek other quarters. To keep mice out of your potting shed, put the mothballs around the base of wrapped or covered plants.

Keep dogs and cats away from garden
Don’t throw out old mothballs. Scatter them around your gardens and flowerbeds to keep cats, dogs, and rodents away. Animals hate the smell!

Keep bats at bay
Bats won’t invade your belfry (or attic) if you scatter a few mothballs around. Add some mothballs to the boxes you store in the attic and silverfish will stay away too.

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest