3 Tips for Keeping Pantry Moths Out Of Your Kitchen

If you love cooking and being in the kitchen, you likely take great pride in how your kitchen looks and functions. While this type of thing is generally under your control, if you somehow get an infestation of insects, it can make your cooking life feel more like a nightmare.

Some of the biggest culprits of ruining your kitchen are pantry moths. These little critters can get into your food and lay eggs there, making cooking a big health hazard if you’re working in an infected area or with infected food. Getting rid of pantry moths is harder than simply preventing them. So to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you or your kitchen, here are three tips for keeping pantry moths out of your kitchen.

Use Airtight Containers

Since we know which types of foods pantry moths like the most, it’s always a good idea to store those foods in the proper way to keep these pests away from them. According to Julie Day, a contributor to TodaysHomeowner.com, you should be keeping all the grains stored in your pantry or cupboards in an airtight container. The more rigid the containers are, the better. This means you should opt for a hard storage container over a plastic zipper bag. And to be on the safe side, try not to keep too much stored at one time so you don’t have to get rid of a large portion of your food if you do end up getting an infestation.

Give Your Food A Quick Freeze

Another thing you can do to help protect your food from getting infested is to give it a quick freeze before you store it in your home. Katie Berry, a contributor to HousewifeHowTos.com, writes that because the FDA allows a certain amount of insect parts and other materials into the dry foods you buy, there’s a chance that you could bring moths or their larvae into your pantry without even realizing it. So to keep this from happening, consider throwing all your new dry goods into the freezer for two or three days before you put them with your current food. This freeze will kill anything living in there before it gets in with your other food.

Take Advantage Of Natural Scents

As another line of defense, you can also use some natural scents around your kitchen to help prevent not only moths, but other pests from coming too close as well. According to Emily Han, a contributor to ApartmentTherapy.com, oils like peppermint, citronella, tea tree, and eucalyptus are all great for keeping away household pests like pantry moths. Additionally, bay leaves are another natural way to keep the bugs away.

If you want to ensure your love for cooking never gets interrupted by pesky pantry moths, use the tips mentioned above to preventing them from ever coming around.

Cookeskitchen.co.uk: Join us in a cooking revolution (blog)