Around Town: Taking action when moths strike

There was a moth in my closet. The sweaters were under attack. The minute I saw the moth, I knew what was required.

I must see Susan McManigal.

Sue is the owner of the French Hand Laundry, on Lake Avenue in Pasadena, conveniently located near Pie ‘n Burger and Peet’s Coffee.

By the way, Peet’s is in the doghouse for it’s discontinuation of their house brand loose leaf teas following its acquisition of Mighty Leaf, a lesser quality tea purveyor than the former Peet’s teas, it’s lamentable acquisitions of Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and Intelligentsia. When Peet’s and Starbucks go head to head, only bad things will happen. This summer, I may be home-roasting coffee in a popcorn popper in the backyard, that’s how bad it could be.

But this column is not about coffee. It is about moths. To paraphrase neo-journalist Sean Penn, this column is a job for what Penn, in his “60 Minutes” interview, calls “experiential journalism,” which is why the government of Mexico is investigating Penn’s $32,854 charter flight to visit El Chapo.

But this column is not about Sean Penn. It is about moths.

Susan explained that due to warm weather, many of her customers haven’t used their wool sweaters for a couple of years, and when we pull them out, we may see moths. The solution is to wash, dry- and/or steam-clean every item, wash the closet walls, ceiling and floor with a bleach solution, and purchase anti-moth products.

There was more bad news. Susan referred me to the Container Store in Pasadena, which features an area devoted to moths. Personally, I had never set foot in the Container Store, on the belief that if you need to buy containers for your stuff, you probably have too much stuff.

But this column is not about the Container Store. It is about moths. When I arrived at the Container Store, the moth shelves were practically bare. I snatched the last box of lavender moth sachets, highly recommended by Susan at the French Hand Laundry. Dozens of customers were shopping the moth section. What had the world come to?

I also purchased muslin garment bags, because Susan said that although the plastic ones from Target can keep the moths out, they also wick moisture out from the clothes, the moisture condenses with horrible results — cottons turn yellow and mold can grow.

“The plastic garment bags are only good for transport,” admonished Susan. “Don’t use them for storage!”

The next day, we took one-third of our clothes to the French Hand Laundry on Lake and California Boulevard, another third to Koko at Magic Cleaners on Lake and Union Street, and began washing the remainder. We scrubbed the walls, donated lots of items to charity and went to sleep each night to the cloying smell of mothballs.

I still feel guilty about shopping at the Container Store. Too much stuff.

Just another day in La Cañada.

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ANITA SUSAN BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Follow her on Instagram @realanitabrenner, Facebook and on Twitter @anitabrenner.