How safe are moth balls?

July 9, 2025

[ransomnote]

Cedar might be healthier. I paneled the inside of a closet with cedar and bought a cedar chest and it kept moths away. I have no idea if cedar oil is any safer than mothballs, but it had a more pleasant scent.

[spacejunkie2001]

just wear lead pants and your moth balls should be fine!

[philled]

I would avoid doing it if you have intentions of wearing the clothes again— especially around others. There are alternatives— even cedar shaving would be less offensive.

We had rabbits that decimated the cone flowers lining our driveway. We put mothballs around each plant to deter them. In the heat we soon found our dogs would not set foot in the driveway and people would venture off the sidewalk and into the street to avoid the smell.

[Vermont Lt]

Don’t eat them, and you should be fine.

Those messages are there to keep them away from idiot kids tht put everything in their mouths.

[montag813]

Honestly, this stuff works better, and you need less than you think. Soak into a rag or old sock, put inside some cheese cloth, tie it up and hang in your closet.

8oz Cedar Oil Can - Essential Eastern Red Cedar Wood (juniperus virginiana) Oil

[SkyDancer]

So what do they wear at those moth balls?

[RummyChick]

i have tried them for chipmunks. didnt work. i have tried every thing I have found on the net to try to get them to stay away from going into that crack between patio and sliding glass door.

Now I just electrocute them.

[Highest Authority]

Snakes don’t like mothballs. Great for lawn & garden.

[RummyChick]

i havent tried this for chipmunks. internet says it works

[Bratch]

[Chickensoup]

When I was young mothball products were hung in closets in plastic cases or the box was opened and placed on the closet shelf. No one strewed the product on their clothes.

[Locomotive Breath]

The solid phase of the naphthalene sublimates (goes from solid to gas) quite easily at room temperature. That’s why you (and the moths) can smell them. Before wearing the clothes just give them a good airing out and the naphthalene will go bye-bye downwind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublimation_(phase_transition)#Naphthalene

[Angelino97]

Remember what I said about filtering?

[Angelino97]

Ceder (and peppermint) deter moths. They don't kill the ones already there.

[Angelino97]

i have tried them for chipmunks.

I read that some jurisdictions have laws against using moth balls on squirrels, rabbits, and such.

[notdownwidems]

Q. Have you ever smelled moth balls?

How’d you get their little legs apart?

[1Old Pro]

I was thinking of spreading a few moth balls amid my clothes (pockets and folds) in my closet.

And then when you wear such clothing to an occasion you will be that guy that smells like mothballs. You don't want to be that guy. Stick to using them as a animal deterrent.

[RummyChick]

its not for them to eat. i put them in a container and poke holes through it . Smells awful. Doesnt deter them.

I have tried to kill them with a block rat killer. It might or might not work but doesnt keep a herd away. They chewed through my neighbors underground electrical wires.

THey are a menace.

[Racketeer]

Cedar is indeed the solution. Cedar chests, cedar closets, and a cedar roof over the attic space provides me with

No bugs or rodents ever!!

[SpaceBar]

Classic moth balls (naphthalene) are safe when used as intended. It’s an insecticide, specifically a larva-cide for the caterpillar that eats wool. Long term storage of fine wool garments in a bag with moth balls does this very effectively. Minimize your exposure to the vapors, wash hands after handling and you should be good to go.