Should you be concerned about the mould in your wardrobe?

When mould forms in your wardrobe, it is a clear sign you have a high humidity problem. Without a dehumidifier for wardrobe, mould forming in your wardrobe can potentially ruin your clothes and any other stored items. It will cause a musty smell that will linger through the closet doors and fill the entire room. In addition, mould results from dampness, and dampness brings another potential problem to your closet; mites.

What causes mold on back of wardrobes?

Condensation is almost always the root of any moisture behind your wardrobe. Water accumulates in the air, and this humid air gets trapped at the back of your closet. Now, since most wardrobes have poor air circulation, condensation collects at the back of the wardrobe, making it damp.

Besides attics and basements, wardrobes are a common breeding ground for mould and mildew as well. Yet, it is one of the unlikely places to look when hunting for the source of that musty smell in your bedroom. And by then, the damage is already done.

Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce humidity and prevent mould in your closet.

How to remove humid from wardrobe?

Using a wardrobe dehumidifier will help remove excess humidity in your closets. A lot of UK homes opt for hanging dehumidifier bags to absorb that extra moisture in their wardrobes.

Hanging dehumidifiers are effective in eliminating damp and unpleasant odours in closets. In addition, the bags are designed to help you monitor the absorption progress and know when to change the bags. One bag can hold up to 500ml of moisture, and hanging several in the closet helps combat high humidity. Hanging dehumidifiers are leakage-proof and environmentally friendly.

While hanging bags are effective in less humid environments, they tend to struggle when combating high humidity. The 500ml capacity is not enough to combat excess moisture in a poorly ventilated closet like a basement wardrobe. This is where the portable dehumidifier comes in.

Modern portable dehumidifiers can reduce the high humidity in both large and small rooms. For instance, a 12L dehumidifier that is perfect for bedrooms and basements will work longer hours compared to hanging dehumidifiers. In addition, a portable dehumidifier allows you to connect a drainage hose for a set-and-forget experience.

If it is a smart dehumidifier with Wi-Fi, it will allow you to constantly monitor humidity in the rooms the wardrobes are located. You can set the dehumidifier to run for a few hours and stop when optimal humidity is achieved.

How much water should my wardrobe dehumidifier collect?

Wardrobes don’t have that much condensation like say in basements. So a small bedroom dehumidifier like the Morris 12L silent dehumidifier would do. The 12L capacity is enough to collect condensation from wardrobes of all sizes without consuming a lot of electricity.

Things will be different for a basement wardrobe. Since basements tend to be more humid than other rooms, wardrobes in this area would have a lot of condensation as well. Using a dehumidifier with a higher tank capacity, like the 20L Morris Portable Dehumidifier, would reduce humidity in the entire basement as well as in the wardrobes.

Since the unit is portable, you can set it for a few hours in your basement or bedroom, before moving it to other rooms.

Where can I buy a wardrobe dehumidifier?

There are plenty of websites like Morris Direct that sell high-quality portable dehumidifiers. When shopping for a wardrobe dehumidifier online, ensure you are buying from legitimate businesses with registered websites. Also, go with online websites with a 4-star rating and above. Such websites have genuine products and stellar customer service. We cover more tips on what to expect from a portable dehumidifier in our article “13 Must-know Answers Before Buying A Portable Small Dehumidifier”.

If I discover mould in my wardrobe do I have to wash all the clothes?

Do not panic when you notice mould on your clothes, nor should you throw your entire wardrobe away. Clothes that have mould on them should be removed and washed immediately.

For severe mould infestation, soak the clothes in bleach for about 5 minutes before washing them. Once the clothes are clean, take them out to dry in the sun. Give the clothes a longer drying time to ensure all moisture has evaporated. Bleach can ruin the colour of fabrics, so make sure you test it on a small area before soaking the respective fabrics.

Smaller mould stains can be removed using a dilute solution of white vinegar. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then spray on the affected areas. Leave the solution to sit for a few minutes before washing the clothes with detergent to remove any musty smells. Vinegar will also brighten clothes affected with black mould.

More tips on how to reduce humidity in wardrobe

When dealing with humidity in your home, prevention is always better than cure. Besides a portable dehumidifier for wardrobe, you can also keep moisture away from your closet with the following tips;

Aerate your wardrobe

Always keep your wardrobe properly ventilated by leaving the closet doors open. Closed closets trap moisture inside which leads to dampness, mould, and eventually odour. Space out the clothes in your closet to improve air circulation.

Use a tubular heater to keep the closet dry

Installing a tubular closet heater in your closet to dry any condensation and keep your wardrobe dry. A tubular heater can also prevent mould and mildew from growing in your closet.

Keep damp clothes away from your wardrobe

Moisture from damp clothes will evaporate and collect inside your closet. To be safe, avoid hanging wet fabrics like towels in your closet. Also, do not use your wardrobe as a drying zone when the sun is not out. Doing either of these will only increase humidity in your wardrobe.

Clean the walls of your closet

Clean the walls of your wardrobe to prevent mould from spreading onto your clothes again. Once more, use bleach or diluted vinegar to effectively kill and remove mould on your closet walls. You can scrub the walls with baking soda to remove musty smells before hanging your clothes again.

In some cases, you will be fighting both mites and mold in wardrobe spaces. Washing the garments in hot water will kill the mites and mite eggs. Other experts recommend freezing mite-infested fabrics to kill the mites at cold temperatures.

Conclusion

Wardrobes are often overlooked when controlling high humidity in our homes. Yet, they tend to collect a lot of condensation, which results in mould and musty smells from your closet. A portable bedroom dehumidifier or basement dehumidifier would be powerful enough to reduce the high humidity in wardrobes. Make sure you are buying it from a certified online business with high seller ratings.