A procedure used to close a process facility for an extended period of time. The facility is shut down and left in a preserved state such that it no longer operates, but may at some future time be successfully operated again if required. All process materials are removed and the process equipment cleaned and shut down thereby preserving the equipment and preventing the effects of corrosion. Mothballing is generally used when a process is no longer economic due to loss of demand for its product. Some nuclear facilities have been mothballed due to political reasons. It is named after mothballs that were once commonly used to deter moths from eating clothes thereby preserving them.