The short answer
Moth holes in a wool suit can usually be repaired by invisible reweaving, in which a specialist weaves threads or a small patch taken from inside the garment into the hole. French reweaving suits small holes; inweaving suits larger ones. As of 2026, expect about $60 to $400 per hole and two to four weeks. Clean the suit first, then stop moths returning.
- Moth larvae, not adult moths, eat wool; they prefer soiled fabric in dark, undisturbed places.
- French reweaving rebuilds small holes thread by thread; inweaving sets in a patch from a hidden seam or hem.
- Expect about $60 to $400 per hole in 2026; a large damaged area costs considerably more.
- Heavier and patterned fabrics hide a repair best; superfine worsteds and synthetics are hardest.
- Freeze or dry clean an infested suit to kill every life stage before repair and storage.
In this guide
You take a suit out after a summer in the wardrobe and find a small, ragged hole near the collar. It is a common story: moth damage is one of the most common reasons suits go to invisible menders: one London specialist says about three quarters of its repairs are moth holes. The good news is that wool can be rewoven, often so well that you need to know where to look. This guide explains how moths damage a suit, how reweaving works, what it costs and how to make sure it does not happen again.
Moth repair at a glance
- The culprit
- Larvae of clothes moths, usually the webbing clothes moth
- Small holes
- French reweaving: threads from inside seams woven across the hole
- Larger damage
- Inweaving: a patch from a hidden area woven into the fabric
- Cost (2026)
- About $60 to $400 per hole
- Turnaround
- About two to four weeks
- Before repair
- Kill any moths, clean the suit and mark every hole
How do moths damage a wool suit?
Two species cause most clothes moth damage in homes. The webbing clothes moth is the most common; the casemaking clothes moth is similar but carries a small silk case. The adults are small, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) long at rest, with golden or brownish wings. They fly weakly and avoid light. Adult moths do not feed and do no damage. The harm is done by their larvae, creamy-white caterpillars up to about 1/2 inch (13 mm) long.
The larvae can digest keratin, the protein in wool, cashmere, mohair, silk, fur and felt. They rarely attack cotton or synthetics unless those fabrics are blended with wool or heavily soiled. Food, sweat and body oils make wool more attractive, which is why a suit put away dirty is the one most likely to be eaten. Larvae also prefer dark, undisturbed places, so damage usually appears under the collar, beneath the lapels, along the cuffs and hems and in folds. Clothes you wear and brush regularly are seldom attacked.
Stage 1: Egg
Hatches in 4 to 10 days in warm weather
A female lays about 40 to 50 eggs on wool over two to three weeks
Stage 2: Larva
35 days to 2 1/2 years
Feeds on wool, leaving holes, silk webbing and pellets
Stage 3: Pupa
8 to 10 days in summer, 3 to 4 weeks in winter
Spins a cocoon, often in a seam or fold
Stage 4: Adult
Usually two generations a year
Does not feed; mates and lays the next eggs
Signs of moth damage
- Small, irregular holes, often several close together.
- Grazed or thin patches where surface fibers have been eaten but no hole has opened yet.
- Silken webbing, tubes or mats in seams, under the collar or in pockets.
- Tiny cigar-shaped cases, about 3/8 inch (1 cm) long, from casemaking moths.
- Fine pellets (droppings) the color of the fabric, caught in seams and turn-ups.
- Small moths fluttering away from the light when you open the wardrobe.
What is invisible reweaving?
Invisible reweaving, also called invisible mending, is a hand repair that rebuilds damaged fabric with yarns taken from the garment itself, so color and texture match. It is done under magnification with fine needles, and it is slow: a hole the size of a cigarette burn can take around six hours. Most tailors do not reweave; they send the work to a specialist reweaver. There are two main methods.
French reweaving
Also called French weaving or invisible weaving. The reweaver pulls single threads from hidden areas, such as the inside seams or the hem, and weaves them across the hole, warp and weft, following the original weave. It suits small holes such as moth holes and burns. It does not suit large holes or L-shaped tears.
Inweaving
Also called piece or patch reweaving. The reweaver cuts a small patch from a hidden area of the garment, frays its edges, lays it over the hole and weaves the loose threads into the surrounding fabric. It handles larger damage and patterns, as long as there is enough matching fabric to take from inside.
French reweaving
Thread by thread
- Small holes: moth holes, burns, snags
- Threads pulled from inside seams or the hem
- Rebuilds the weave across the hole
- Not for large holes or L-shaped tears
Inweaving
A woven-in patch
- Larger holes and tears
- Patch cut from a hem, pocket or facing
- Frayed edges woven into the fabric
- Works on patterns if the patch can be matched
Knitwear is repaired a different way, by re-knitting with yarn from a seam or cuff. Cheaper repairs also exist: a tailor can darn a small hole or back it with a fused patch from inside. These stop a hole spreading but stay visible up close, so they suit trouser seats and linings better than a jacket front.
How much does it cost to reweave a moth hole?
Reweaving is priced by time and difficulty, not by the value of the suit. Small holes in plain fabrics cost the least; large holes, patterns and very fine fabrics cost more. Some reweavers quote per hole, others give a flat rate for a garment with several holes. Most give a firm estimate only after they see the suit.
| Repair | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small hole, many reweavers | About $60 to $150 | Moth hole or small burn in a plain wool |
| Small hole, high-end specialist | About $200 to $400 per hole | Prices at top specialists in big US cities |
| Small hole, London specialist | From about $120, or 90 pounds | For a hole about the size of a cigarette burn |
| Several holes on one garment | Often a flat rate | Ask for one quote for the whole suit |
| Large damaged area | Quoted case by case | Patches of damage a few square centimeters across |
Typical published prices as of 2026. Turnaround is usually two to four weeks; rush service costs extra. Get a written estimate before work starts.
Clean the jacket and the trousers together before the repair. Threads taken from inside the suit have not faded in the light, and if one piece has been cleaned more often than the other, the repair is more likely to show.
Which fabrics can be rewoven?
Most woven wools can be rewoven, but some hide a repair far better than others. Texture, pattern and weight help; smooth, very fine and synthetic fabrics make it harder.
| Fabric | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flannel and tweed | Very good | Soft, textured surface hides the repair |
| Patterned worsteds: herringbone, stripes, checks | Very good, if matched | The pattern breaks up the eye |
| Plain mid-weight worsted | Good | Solid colors are easier than complex patterns |
| Superfine worsted (Super 150s and up) | Harder | The needle's entry points can show in a very fine, smooth weave |
| Dark solids such as navy and charcoal | Good | Darker colors hide a repair better than pale ones |
| Polyester and synthetic blends | Poor or impossible | Single fibers cannot practically be pulled out and rewoven |
If you are ordering a bespoke or made-to-measure suit, ask for the leftover fabric. A spare piece, or extra length in the trouser hems, gives a reweaver matching material years later. Our guides to fabric weight and Super numbers explain why finer fabrics are more delicate.
Is reweaving worth it?
Reweaving makes sense when the suit is worth more to you than the repair. A bespoke suit, an expensive ready-made suit, or a jacket whose trousers are still good are all strong candidates, because replacing one piece of a suit means replacing both. Some specialists advise against jobs where the repair would cost more than the garment, such as a jacket with many visible holes.
- Reweave a well-made suit with one or a few small holes, especially on the jacket front, lapels or sleeves.
- Darn or patch holes in places nobody sees, such as inside the trouser seat or under the collar, where a cheaper visible repair is fine.
- Retire a suit with many holes or wide, grazed patches: the cost adds up fast and more damage may appear. See restoring a vintage suit for how to weigh cost against value.
How to prepare a suit for reweaving
Before you send a suit for repair
- 1
Kill any moths
If you saw larvae, webbing or cases, seal the suit in a plastic bag and freeze it at 0°F (-18°C) or colder for at least one week. Let it come back to room temperature before you open the bag.
- 2
Clean it
Have the jacket and trousers dry cleaned together. Cleaning kills any remaining eggs and larvae, and it often reveals small holes you had not seen.
- 3
Find every hole
Hold each piece up to a window or a bright lamp, inside and out, and look at the collar, lapels, sleeves, cuffs, seat and hems. Small holes are easy to miss.
- 4
Mark each one
Put a pin through each hole or circle it with tailor's chalk. Some reweavers repair only the holes you mark, so do not rely on them to find the rest.
- 5
Gather spare fabric
Send any leftover fabric from the tailor. If there is none, the reweaver will take it from the hem, the inside seams or a pocket facing.
- 6
Get a written estimate
Ask for the method, the price per hole or for the whole garment, the turnaround time and any guarantee. Ask whether they can give a rough quote from photos first.
How do you get rid of moths in a suit?
Moth larvae can be killed by cold, by heat and by dry cleaning. For a wool suit, freezing and dry cleaning are the safest choices; hot washing and tumble drying will shrink and felt it.
| Method | How | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Freezing | Seal in a plastic bag; 0°F (-18°C) for at least a week, or -20°F (-29°C) for 72 hours | Kills all life stages |
| Dry cleaning | A normal professional clean | Kills eggs and larvae and removes the soil that attracts them |
| Brushing and airing | Brush seams, pockets and folds; hang in daylight | Destroys eggs and exposes larvae, but does not kill all of them |
| Pheromone traps | Sticky traps placed in the wardrobe | Catch male moths: a check, not a cure |
Let frozen items warm up inside the bag so moisture does not condense on the fabric.
How do you keep moths away from suits?
Moth prevention that works
- Clean every suit before storing it for a season. Soiled wool attracts larvae.
- Brush suits after each wear, paying attention to the collar and seams.
- Store out-of-season suits in tightly woven, fully zipped garment bags, or in sealed containers if they are clean and dry.
- Hang pheromone traps in the wardrobe and check them every month or two.
- Take stored suits out every month or two to air, brush and inspect them. Moths like undisturbed places.
- Treat cedar and lavender as mild deterrents only. Cedar oil can kill small larvae but not large ones, and the effect fades.
- Use mothballs only as the label directs, in a sealed container, away from children and pets. In an open wardrobe they barely work and leave a strong smell.
Our guides to storing suits long-term and caring for a suit cover hangers, bags and the routine that keeps moths away. When a suit does need a clean, how often to dry clean a suit explains how to brief your cleaner.
Questions people ask
Can moth holes in a suit be fixed?
Moth holes in a wool suit can usually be fixed by invisible reweaving, a hand repair that uses threads or a small patch taken from inside the suit. Small holes are rewoven thread by thread; larger ones are covered with a woven-in patch. A good repair is very hard to see, though no repair is perfectly invisible up close.
How much does invisible mending cost?
Invisible mending of a suit costs about $60 to $150 per small hole at many reweavers as of 2026, and about $200 to $400 per hole at high-end specialists. A large damaged area is quoted case by case and costs considerably more. Price depends on the size of the hole, the fabric and the pattern, not on the value of the suit.
Do moths eat polyester or cotton suits?
Clothes moth larvae rarely eat pure polyester or cotton, because they digest keratin, the protein in wool, silk and other animal fibers. They will attack blends that contain wool, and they may damage cotton or synthetics that are heavily soiled with food or sweat. Wool, cashmere and mohair suits are the main targets.
Does freezing kill clothes moths?
Freezing kills clothes moths if it is cold enough for long enough. Seal the garment in a plastic bag and keep it at 0°F (-18°C) or colder for at least one week, or at -20°F (-29°C) for 72 hours. Let it warm to room temperature inside the bag before opening it.
Do cedar hangers keep moths away?
Cedar hangers and blocks help only a little. The oil in aromatic cedar can kill small moth larvae but not large ones, and the scent fades over time, though light sanding refreshes it. Cleaning suits before storage, keeping them in closed bags and checking them regularly protect them far better.
Can a tailor fix a moth hole?
Most tailors do not do invisible reweaving themselves, but they can send a suit to a specialist reweaver and handle the job for you. A tailor can also darn a small hole or back it with a patch inside, which is cheaper but visible up close. For holes on a jacket front or lapel, invisible reweaving gives the best result.
How long does reweaving take?
Reweaving usually takes two to four weeks from drop-off to collection, because the work is slow and specialists often have a queue. A single small hole can take several hours of hand work. Rush service is often available for an extra charge, so ask if you need the suit by a date.
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