How To Preserve Your Fine Clothing With A Cedar Chest
Cedar Chest
A cedar chest can help to keep your fine clothing in peak condition. Red cedar has been used in the manufacture of chests and closets for a very long time, and there has always been a belief that the aroma actually helped keep clothes safe from moths and other pests. In recent years, scientists have carried out more tests into cedar and its ability to see off pests, and it has been proven that the wood does have this ability. Tests are still being carried out to gauge its effect on other pests such as cockroaches and termites.
It was even a tradition in times gone by for married couples to be given a cedar chest as a wedding gift. This shows the genuine belief which people held in those days, as to the efficacy of the material in preserving valuable clothing. This belief has now been vindicated. Over the years, the importance of cedar has seemed to wane. Part of this is no doubt due to the synthetic fibers now being used in clothing, which do not suffer from moth attacks in the same way, and part of it is due to the throwaway society where clothes are changed far more often.
Now, we are beginning to realize the importance of cedar again, and it is not before time. If you are someone who appreciates fine clothes, you will be wanting to buy the pure, natural materials which are far more prone to attack from clothes moths. The best solution is to create a closet from red cedar, but there is significant expense involved in this. This expense can be reduced considerably by using either plywood or wafer board panels, but you still have to construct the cedar lining.
Depending on your circumstances and the amount of clothing you are likely to possess, you may be able to manage perfectly well with just a cedar chest. It will take less maintenance, and if it is kept clean and dry, it should last for a great many years. There are more people living alone in the modern age, and often their clothes storage needs don’t demand a full size closet.
A cedar chest can be bought as a ready made unit, and transported intact, or it can be constructed from materials once it is inside your home. You shouldn’t need any great practical skills to do this, and the instructions should make it an easy process. If you do take this option, just be sure you are getting a chest made from genuine red cedar, and not a cheap substitute. Even other cedars, which do not have the same aroma, will not keep your clothing safe. You need an authentic aromatic red cedar chest.