When you think of nasty little things you don’t want in your pantry, your mind probably immediately goes to ants. That’s not the only creepy crawler you want to avoid having in your pantry room, though. For many homeowners, pantry moths come without warning and are a nightmare to get rid of. Thankfully, it’s not impossible to do.
Rid Your Home of Pantry Moths
A small gray or brownish moth in your kitchen pantry might seem easy enough to dismiss, but it is nothing to take lightly. One can turn into, well, a lot! A single female moth is capable of laying up to 400 eggs, each of which can proceed through the entire lifecycle in about 50 days. These bugs feed on stored grains and other dry foods, making your pantry their favorite spot to call home. In just two months, you could be living with a full-on infestation.
Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be the case if you follow a few expert pieces of advice:
Remove everything, inspect, and replace
Now is the perfect time to implement better pantry organization, because you need to take everything out of the space anyway. Inspect all food in your pantry for signs of infestation. Empty out the affected area completely by removing every can, box, bag, or bottle. Grain-based products like flour, cereal, pasta, and baking mixes are a moth’s favorite meal. If you have any of these packages opened, you’re going to want to remove them and check for moths. If you don’t see any, place it in the freezer for a few days and then return it to the pantry. If you see bugs, eggs, or larvae- toss it in the trash can outside!
Clean everything
While your clean items are still out of the pantry, give your pantry or cupboard a thorough cleaning. Pull out your shelf liners and wash them. As you vacuum the shelves, pay close attention to the corners, undersides, shelf brackets, and mounting hardware. Moving forward, immediately clean up food messes in your pantry and thoroughly scrub several times a year.
Change your storage methods
Now, you’ll want to focus on better pantry storage so this doesn’t happen again. You’re going to want to transfer your grains and other dry food products into storage containers, mason jars, tins, or other tight-sealing containers. You want containers to be air-tight, not letting bugs in or out.
Advice on Custom Pantries by Closets Plus
For any additional help or information on your pantry room, Closets Plus is always here for you. This includes if you don’t yet have the custom pantry of your dreams and would like to work with us to design it. Better organization, and a cleaner pantry, is just a phone call away!