The protective properties of eastern red cedar

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Fall has been warm, except for a short cold snap. I’ve just gotten around to getting sweaters and blankets out of the cedar chests. Our old house has lots of moths – the larvae even eat holes in some of the rugs where they’re under sofas. Eastern red cedar has long been used to line chests and closets to protect wool items; it has natural oils that repel moths. But since our cedar chests are older than Moses, I now have to put mothballs in them too – then have to air out the blankets and sweaters before using them. I haven’t opened one of the downstairs cedar chests in years – I think it has a blackglama mink stole from Edward’s famous Aunt Minna, I should give it to my equally elegant sister, Kappy.