Cedar for the bugs!

[John in Covina]

In various posts, the recommendation is to place some cedar or moth ball type products inside the hat box, if you are using it for storage. In order to keep those nasty little chewers away from my hats, I purchased some cedar blocks sized about 2� X 3� to put in the boxes. Now, I know cedar is aromatic and contains oils that are the key components that drive the bugs away, but also means they should not touch the hat as they may stain the felt or fabrics. Okay then, how to attach the blocks but not have them move around and touch the hat. After toying with a couple of ideas, I spotted Industrial Strength Velcro Tape Strips. For each block, I took the tape set (hook plus fuzzy side) and cut 2 squares about an inch by an inch. Then placed the sticky side of the “hook� portion on the block and put two staples thru it into the block, just in case the cedar repelled the sticky adhesive. Popped the fuzzy side onto the hook side and peeled the protective cover off. Then in each box found a good spot and stuck the block and tape combo to the inside of the box. With the Velcro, I can now remove any block and sand it to rejuvenated its aromatics, and place it back in the box.