How safe are moth balls?

July 9, 2025

[Pocketdoor]

You think they would work to keep mice and rats away? I get the in parked vehicles.

[nanetteclaret]

Mr. Claret puts Irish Spring soap bars in his deer camp mobile home, deer blinds, and storage shed. It is very effective in keeping the critters out.

[Vaduz]

WARNING

Some of the chemicals in mothballs can cause reversible health effects that include headaches, nausea, eye and nose irritation and coughing. Exposure to naphthalene can cause more serious effects, including hemolytic anemia. Naphthalene is also a possible carcinogen.

[Pocketdoor]

I tried the Irish spring trick. They chewed on the soap!!! Lol. Tried peppermint extract also.

[nanetteclaret]

Let’s hope the soap at least made them sick! 🤣

[justrepublican]

They just quit swearing

[philled]

My father put mothballs in his classic convertible to keep the mice out over the winter. It was largely fine under the hood but he ended up replacing the carpet and trunk liner because of the odor. He also swapped the self-storage unit for a garage which doesn’t appear to have mice.

[bobbo666]

Just melt some chocolate and coat them. Yumm!

[philled]

I’ve got a couple of deck boxes that I am using something Grandpa Gus’s Mouse Repellent pouches in. The real test will come this fall but so far so good.

[sit-rep]

I threw a fairly large firecracker down the hole they dug under my porch. that worked well also!!

[SpaceBar]

You could post the Safety Data Sheets for a variety of toxic substances found in the typical household, the key is using it as intended by the manufacturer. I notice all the anecdotal stories above where month balls didn't quite work as intended or had some adverse property was because people weren't using them to kill moth larvae in stored clothes. If you use oven cleaner to rinse off your contact lenses you're going to have problems. Read the effing label folks.

[packrat35]

Try not to eat too many and you’ll be OK.

[Angelino97]

I read it’s the ceder oil that deters them. Fresh ceder wood loses its oil after a few months.

[Keyhopper]

Oh you have to explain that

[Vaduz]

Toxic substances are all over life is more of an experiment then living.

[Racketeer]

My houses are between 125 - 150 years old. I have not touched any of the cedar components in the homes for 2 decades. Yet,

not one bug or rodent!!