Dehumidifier’s a game changer, honestly. I tried those moisture tubs for months—felt like a losing battle. Once I plugged in a small unit, the musty smell disappeared and the closet stayed dry. Still haven’t figured out the hair situation though... humidity just wins there.
I get the appeal of dehumidifiers, but sometimes they just mask a bigger issue. If you’re still getting musty smells or battling humidity, it might be worth checking for hidden leaks or poor ventilation in the closet itself. I’ve seen folks spend a fortune on gadgets when a simple vent or a bit of weatherstripping made all the difference. As for the hair—unless you’re ready to rip out drywall and insulate, that’s probably just part of living in a damp climate...
I ran into something similar last year—thought a fancy dehumidifier would solve my closet funk, but nope. Turned out there was a tiny gap where the baseboard met the floor, letting in moist air from the crawlspace. Here’s what worked for me: 1) checked for any gaps or cracks and sealed them with caulk, 2) swapped out the solid closet door for a louvered one to boost airflow, and 3) stuck a small humidity sensor inside just to keep tabs. The musty smell faded pretty quick after that. As for frizzy hair, I’m still fighting that battle... but at least my sweaters don’t smell like an old basement anymore.
As for frizzy hair, I’m still fighting that battle... but at least my sweaters don’t smell like an old basement anymore.
Man, I hear you on both fronts. I sealed up every crack in my closet and it helped, but now I’m paranoid about trapping moisture inside. Did you notice any issues with airflow after switching to a louvered door? My closet’s tiny, so I’m worried it’ll just turn into a sauna. And the frizzy hair thing—if you ever find a fix that doesn’t involve hats or moving to Arizona, let me know.
Louvered doors made a way bigger difference than I expected, honestly. My closet’s not huge either—maybe 4 feet wide, and it always felt stale before. After swapping to a louvered door, there’s definitely more airflow, and I haven’t noticed any musty smell since. The only thing I’ll say is, if your closet’s really packed, the air can still get kind of trapped between clothes. I ended up putting one of those little rechargeable dehumidifiers on the floor just in case. They’re not too expensive and don’t need to be plugged in, so it’s not much hassle.
I get what you mean about sealing up cracks. I tried weatherstripping once, but the humidity just seemed to linger. I think if you’re worried about a “sauna effect,” it’s probably more about how much stuff is in there and whether you ever leave the door open a crack. I prop mine open when I remember, especially after running laundry, and it seems to help.
On the frizzy hair front… I wish I had a magic answer. I’ve tried every leave-in conditioner and serum out there, but the humidity just wins. One person told me to run a humidifier in my bedroom to “balance” the air, but that seemed counterproductive considering the closet situation. Maybe there’s a happy medium? All I know is, hats are a last resort for me too.
At least you’ve got fresh-smelling sweaters now. That’s a win in my book, even if the hair situation is still wild.
