Mold in Closet.

[Ryan]

My wife complains about mold in out bedroom closet. Not sure what I can do about it. Any ideas. I have seen those dampx crystal but that is a temporary fix and keeps costing money. Anyone have other ideas?

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Yep. Find the source/cause.
Basement? Crawl space?
Water problems?
Roof leaks?
Plumbing leaks?
Nasty tennis shoes?
Your shorts?????

 

[scottyb]

I had the same issue in my first home during the winter - 50's block construction, old single-pane windows, etc. There were no leaks. I don't have an easy solution, and I'm not sure why it was. I bought a used dehumidifier.

I wish I understood why it was like that....and assume it's the construction materials/methods.

 

[Firechaser]

What I do for a living...fire/flood restoration. As stated, u gotta find the cause first....if their is mold on the wall, cut it out and keep cutting until the mold is gone. Then once the cause is found and fixed, u need to kill any existing mold on the studs/inner wall....their is probably some sort of mold-kill at the local home depot (not sure) we use Microban but not sure if this is readily avaliable.....what u do NOT want to do is use bleach, it will kill the mold but it also releases spores (most dont know that) and can make your mold problem grow :biggrin: Once problem is fixed, mold is sprayed/killed.......Use Kilz (oil based preferably) and seal those areas, also if their is any mold on carpet/padding...scrap it!
Some molds can be hazardous especially to elderly/children...this is sometimes blown out of proportion and i am not trying to scare by any means but facts are facts..........all this may seem overboard but it's the right way to handle and stop it...good luck.

 

[Ryan]

I live in a duplex. There are 50 units that are built exactly the same. Have spoken to many other folks and others have the same problem in that same closet. It is located in the master bedroom. There is a bathroom and it has no exhaust fan. I am wondering if that is the problem. There is no mold on the walls just some cloths and shoes.

 

[scottyb]

That reminds me. My wife lived in a condo before we married last year. It was a brand new building, and all the units had dehumidifiers pretty much integrated into the H/AC.

Maybe you are on the right track. Her unit was downstairs and virtually "surrounded" (units above and side). She rarely had to run the AC or heat because she was shielded. Perhaps the lack of airflow/ventilation forced them to install the units.

 

[Ryan]

We don't live in a condo style unit. I only share one wall with the neighbor. There is obviously a design flaw.

 

[Firechaser]

I live in a duplex. There are 50 units that are built exactly the same. Have spoken to many other folks and others have the same problem in that same closet. It is located in the master bedroom. There is a bathroom and it has no exhaust fan. I am wondering if that is the problem. There is no mold on the walls just some cloths and shoes.

Does the closet share a wall w/ the bathroom? It sounds unusual because the bathroom would obviously have mold issues before any other room...usually if their is a window in the bathroom (old code) no fart fan is required....by new code they require a fart fan always. If the carpet and walls are completely dry and mold free, you could try a Dehu but thats going to get expensive to run all the time.....To test your theory, could you seal the closet off w/ plastic and tape for a bit? If that solves it, I would just tell the landlord to install a fart fan...shouldn't be too hard considering they are single duplex units. Also, If their is that high of a humidity level to do that to clothing if it's in fact caused by the bathroom...it will eventually ruin furniture and electronics too....i've seen high humidity levels ruin alot!

 

[Ryan]

Yes, the bathroom shares a wall with the closet. The bathroom does not have a mold problem. Strange.....I don't see mold anywhere in the closet except cloths and shoes. I own the house so I will let the landlord know. There is a light in the closet. Is is possible or practical to put a fart fan in the closet? I don't have a lot of carpentry experience. Is there a fan that is a direct replacement of the original light fixture?

 

[Firechaser]

The install may involve opening your ceiling.....the fan must vent outside like a dryer vent....So in one scenario one of your bathrooms walls would be an exterior wall and you would open the ceiling to that wall and create a hole to the outside to install a dryer style vent.....OR, if your on the top floor and have an attic (better yet...) you could access the ceiling from the attic then have a roofer come in and simply install a small boot/vent on your roof......Good news is if you already have a ceiling mounted light, you can buy a fan/light combo and no wires would need to be fished....And if your handy (and not scared of heights) the roof vent really isn't hard to install by yourself either.