Finding mold in closets and cupboards is a fairly common issue. It can completely ruin clothes, shoes, linen, and any items which happen to be stored in this space. On top of this, it permeates the air and your belongings with the most horrid “musty” smell which is very difficult to get rid of.
The most probable cause of mold in closets and clothing is dampness. This can be caused by the property being poorly maintained allowing water to penetrate the building via leaking roofs,broken gutters, cracked walls or perhaps dripping pipes. Another source could be condensation. This is caused by the humidity levels in the air becoming too high The moist air then comes into contact with a cold surface and goes back into water droplets thus forming condensation in closets, cupboards, on windows and any other surface.
In a majority of cases the single cause of mold in closets and clothing is lack of ventilation because of course these tend to be enclosed spaces. This problem is fairly easy to resolve
However, there there are steps to be taken first.
The first thing you should do is to take everything out of the closet. If it is items of clothing or linen laundering or cleaning these items will be essential. If there is mold present on these items it is necessary that it is removed before it has a chance to spread further.
Here you can choose which option for removing mold from clothing, here are a couple of examples: lemon juice and salt combined and applied to the mold stain then allowed to dry in the sun is usually very effective. Another option is the use of bleach, but you will be limited as to what you can apply this too as it will remove colour etc. As a third option there are now a few products on the market which combine a mold stain remover with a normal laundry detergent.
Okay, so you have dealt with the mold affecting the contents of your closet you can move on to dealing with the mold in the closet itself.
Firstly safety has to be taken into account – remember exposure to some molds can have incredibly serious effects on human health. Before you start you must completely seal off the area and be certain to wear rubber gloves, goggles and a face mask.
Again, you have a few choices in how you remove the mold from a closet. Of course using green products is far safer for yourself, your family, your pets and the environment. Tea tree oil mixed into a solution with water, grapefruit seed oil again in solution with water or a vinegar are all great ways to remove mold from your closet. The tea tree oil and the vinegar do have strong odours but these do lessen over time, the grapefruit seed oil is odourless.
There are also commercial products available, some of these too are completely organic and 100% non toxic and will often help to remove the unpleasant “musty” smell replacing it with a more pleasant fresh odour. Of course as well as the mold removal products there are also products available which when applied will act as a barrier and prevent further mold contamination.
Whichever method you use the most important part of the mold treatment for a closet is to let it dry out 100%. Leave the doors open perhaps open a window in the room or you could invest in a dehumidifier, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES return the contents until the closet it 100% dry.
Creating adequate ventilation is going to be essential in ensuring that the mold problem does not reappear in your closet. You may want to consider leaving the door open now and then or perhaps install a vent in the bottom of a door or roof of a free standing unit.
You could also consider the purchase a mini electric dehumidifier or one which uses silicon crystals to soak up excess moisture – remember the silicon crystals will need replaced regularly!
Finally NEVER put wet or damp clothing, especially jackets in your closet – this will only exacerbate your closets mold problem.
Good maintenance and good ventilation can prevent mold in closets and cupboards and could save you a small fortune in replacement clothes!
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