Mothballs, who needs em?

There are not a huge number of product names that acquire a secondary meaning, but mothballs are one.  To mothball something is to put it on hold, with the understanding that it can be brought back into use.  So far so good when it comes to looking after your clothes.  There are seasons which mean different clothes are suitable for different times of year - there is also fashion so colours and styles change.  You can't wear everything in your wardrobe at once, so we naturally cycle through the clothes in the wardrobe according to all these reasons and more.  

Historically when people stored clothes between seasons they used mothballs made of chemicals such as napthalene.  It has emerged over time that many of these products are toxic and harmful to humans.  Notwithstanding the danger of using such products they have another pretty nasty side effect - the smell.  Sadly the smell of mothballs impregnates clothes like a baby koala clings to it's mother.  If someone walks past you in a shop or supermarket the fug of mothballs is unmistakeable.  Surprising given this rather unfortunate characteristic that they proved to be so popular for so long.  While there continue to be a wide range of toxic chemicals on the market for dealing with moths there are also alternative treatments like Colibri anti moth as well as a moth trap monitors which help you to detect and get early warning of moths.

Thankfully looks like the word will outlive the product.