Dial-a-Maid
Make your own Sweet-Scented Moth Repellent for all your closets, says a 40+ year old Residential Cleaning Service in Evanston, Il. Start by gathering the following ingredients:
1 thin-skinned orange(the orange peel stays on)
1 box of whole cloves, 1 ounce ground orris root (available at some herb stores or from Amazon.com), 1 ounce ground cinnamon, 1/2 ounce ground nutmeg, 2 feet of 1/4 to 1/2 wide ribbon (non-silky ribbon)
Combine the orris root, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and set it aside.
Take 1 foot of the ribbon and cut it in half. Then tie 1 strip around the orange and knot it on top. do the same thing with the other strip of ribbon, so that the 2 strips criss-cross the orange.
Next, stick the cloves all over the orange- but not on the ribbon. Then place the clove-stuck orange in the bowl with the spices, gently rolling it around. Let it sit in the bowl for about 5 days, turning it occasionally. After 5 days, take the orange out of the bowl, hold it over the sink and, using a hair dryer set on a low and cool setting, blow off any excess spices.
Attach the remaining ribbon to the ball, and hang it from the closet rod. This scented moth-repellent will last for years. This recipe was in Bottom Line's Best-Ever Home Secrets by Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen.
For a spicy -scented moth repellent, cut the leg off a clean, old pair of pantyhose and fill the foot with crushed peppercorns. Knot it closed, and hang it in the closet. It smells much better than mothballs and does the job just as well, says a 40+ year old Residential Cleaning Service in Evanston, Il.
