My Battle With Moldy Closets And Frizzy Hair
How do you know when you’ve actually solved the problem vs just hiding it? Sometimes I feel like I’m playing whack-a-mole with this stuff.
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I’ve been through this with more than one client (and my own 1940s house). Sealing up gaps definitely helps, but if you don’t have a way for air to move, you’re just trading one headache for another. I had a project where we sealed the crawlspace and suddenly the upstairs windows started sweating every morning—turns out, we’d basically trapped the moisture inside.
Ventilation is key. After sealing, I usually recommend installing a small vent fan or at least making sure there’s a path for airflow—sometimes even just a louvered closet door makes a difference. Those moisture absorbers are fine for short-term, but they’re like putting a band-aid on a leaky pipe.
And yeah, I still get nervous when it rains too. The only time I really felt like the problem was solved was after we added a dehumidifier in the basement and put in a vented closet system. It’s not glamorous, but it finally stopped my sweaters from smelling like wet dog.
Man, I hear you on the whack-a-mole thing. I once thought I’d “fixed” my closet by stuffing it with those moisture absorber tubs—felt like a genius until I found mold behind a shoe rack a month later. Airflow really is the secret sauce, even if it means sacrificing those solid doors for something uglier. And yeah, dehumidifiers aren’t pretty, but neither is mildew on your favorite hoodie. Sometimes you just gotta pick your battles... and your closet doors.
Honestly, I get the urge to keep things looking sleek, but solid closet doors are just a mold magnet in humid spots. I swapped mine for louvered doors—yeah, they’re not winning any design awards, but my clothes finally stopped smelling like a swamp. Those moisture tubs are basically a band-aid. If you can swing it, a small vent or even just leaving the door cracked makes a world of difference. Sometimes ugly is just practical.
You nailed it—sometimes you just have to pick function over form. I used to obsess over matching doors and hardware, but after ripping out a set of solid doors and finding black mold behind them, I stopped caring about “sleek.” Louvered doors aren’t glamorous, but they breathe. And yeah, those moisture tubs are like putting a bucket under a leaky roof... not really fixing the problem. Good call on the vent too—airflow is everything in these old houses.
Louvered doors aren’t glamorous, but they breathe.
Totally agree—function wins every time, especially with old houses that just want to trap moisture. Here’s what’s worked for me:
- Swapped out all the solid closet doors for louvered or even slatted ones. Not pretty, but my clothes don’t smell like a swamp anymore.
- Skipped the moisture tubs after realizing they fill up fast and don’t do much long-term. If you’re seeing water in those, you’ve got bigger airflow issues.
- Installed a small, super quiet bathroom fan in the hallway near the closets. Wired it to a timer—runs a couple hours a day, keeps everything dry.
- For frizzy hair (which I swear is worse when the house is damp), I started running a dehumidifier in my bedroom during the summer. Makes a huge difference.
Funny how “sleek” goes out the window once you’ve seen black mold up close... I used to care about matching hardware too, but now I just want stuff that works and doesn’t rot.
