Picture this: you’ve just invested a lot of your hard earned money into a cashmere sweater, only to take it out of your drawer (where you’ve neatly folded it) to find a hole right smack dab in the center of it. WTF. Did it always have this hole here? Maybe when I bought it there was a hole? More likely than not, no - the sweater wasn’t damaged when you purchased it. In fact, you remember wearing it a few times and not ever seeing this hole. 

Unfortunately the situation just described, is not uncommon. Why? Moths have very expensive taste. Literally. You may have never ever in a million years actually seen a moth in your home, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. They’ll skip right over all your cheap acrylic sweaters to find the cashmere - they freakin’ love it. 

So now what? You have this sweater with a hole right in the center. Our best advice would be to take the sweater to a trusted dry-cleaner or tailor who may be able to assist in the matter. Better yet, plan ahead: When you purchase most high-end cashmere products, including any of our cashmere knits from FILORO - theres a little baggy of extra yarn thats attached to the hangtag. If your sweater has a button or appliques, theres also usually an extra of those included with the yarn.  Usually - the tailor can work some magic, especially when provided with the yarn to sew the hole to an acceptable state. Obviously in this case, if the hole is in a less noticeable location like the side or underneath the sleeve - even better, but of course - moth’s don’t tend to go there, do they?

Got a hole right on the seam? Even easier fix - this likely just came from loose threads and again, a trusted tailor or dry cleaner can fix these seamlessly (pun intended). Occasionally you can have a hole from a rip or tear caused by jewelry or any other item that can cause a snag as well. 

Want to avoid the moths in the first place? While there’s no guarantee that you’ll avoid them completely - you can put a few things in place to help diminish the likelihood of offering them an all-you-can-eat cashmere buffet. We like the following tips:

1. Place cedar balls in drawers and closets.
2. Create or purchase sachets of dried fragrant herbs such as lavender and mint - bonus points this one will make your sweaters smell good to us humans, but the pests hate the scent!
3. Mothballs - often smell bad and are filled with toxic chemicals, but can do the trick.
4. Wash and launder often - pests love the fiber and your natural oils and sweat on the item. Keep a delicate balance here though of ensuring your items are clean, but not OVER-washed as this caen also lead to damaging effects on the yarn. 
5. Put your sweater in the freezer! Placing it in a garment safe bag in the freezer for up to 48 hours will kill any larvae or bugs! Steam it up after to fluff it back up. 

Proper care and maintenance is crucial when investing in luxury products! Protect your purchases.