Originally Posted by
joe'smom
I'm afraid to use starch because my tops sit for quite awhile before they're quilted and washed, and I've heard there's a potential for attracting bugs. I use Best Press.
Although moths/silverfish do eat fabric materials, it’s not the fabric itself they are primarily attracted to: it’s the dirt, lint, salt, dead insects, or stains from human sweat and food such as tomato juice, milk, coffee, and beef gravy that moths like to eat. They cut through the fibers to get to the dirt and stains on the fabric.
There are pieces of fabric in my quilting cave that have been starched (or heavily starched) for lengths of time between 21 years and 2 months. I've never had bugs or insects (moths or silver fish) chew or make holes in the fabrics. My fabric has been moved and refolded quite a bit as we have moved or I have switched rooms or when I'm working on a quilt and pulling out fabric. I've never found holes or dead bugs/insects. The only bug/insect holes I have found in fabric was a suit my husband wore and hung back in the closet without having it cleaned. When he took it out a year later to wear it it was full of holes! Moths suck on the sweat drops that are left in clothes, hence the holes.