Venting into the bathroom makes a lot of sense, especially if you’ve already got an exhaust fan running in there. That’s probably pulling out way more moisture than just letting it drift into the hallway, which, yeah, tends to just spread the dampness around. Have you ever tried running the bathroom fan on a timer for a bit longer after showers or laundry? Sometimes that helps keep things drier overall.
I totally get what you mean about dehumidifiers being a hassle. I had one in my old place and I’d forget to empty it until it beeped at me... always at the worst time. There are some models now that can drain directly into a sink or tub with a hose—might be worth looking into if you’re tired of dumping buckets.
Louvered doors are the worst for dust, right? I swapped mine out for solid doors with a vent panel at the top, and it cut down on cleaning without sacrificing airflow. Not sure if that’s an option for you, but it saved me a lot of time (and sneezing).
Venting into the bathroom works if the fan’s strong enough, but honestly, I’ve found that it doesn’t always cut it—especially in older houses or apartments where those fans are barely moving air. I actually tried running mine for an extra half hour after showers, and it helped a bit, but the humidity still seemed to linger in the closets. Ended up with some pretty gnarly closet mold one summer anyway.
Instead of relying just on the bathroom exhaust, I set up a cheap box fan right outside the closet door for a few hours after laundry day. Not pretty, but it really helped push air through and dry things out faster. Also, I skipped the fancy dehumidifier models and just drilled a tiny hole in the bucket to run a bit of tubing into a floor drain—super low-budget fix, but it works.
About the louvered doors... I actually like them for airflow, even though they’re a pain to clean. Tried the solid door with a vent panel, but my closet started smelling musty again. Guess it’s just a trade-off depending on your setup.
Louvered doors are a pain, but honestly, they’re the only thing that’s kept my closet from turning into a science experiment. I’ve swapped out so many fans in old houses, and half of them barely move air like you said. I’ve even seen folks try to “upgrade” with those stick-on vent panels—never seems to help much. The box fan trick is solid, though. I’ve told people to just leave the closet door cracked if they can, but it’s not always practical. Sometimes you just gotta get creative with airflow, even if it looks a little janky for a while.
I totally get the struggle with airflow. I tried those stick-on vent panels too—honestly, they just collected dust and didn’t do much. Ended up drilling a few holes near the top of my closet door and it actually helped a bit, though it’s not exactly pretty. I’m still debating if I should just bite the bullet and get a small dehumidifier in there. The louvered doors are ugly but at least they work... kinda.
I get why you’d want to avoid louvered doors—they’re not exactly winning any design awards. But honestly, I’ve never seen a closet with decent airflow unless it had some kind of real venting or those doors. Drilling holes helps a bit, but have you thought about where the moisture’s actually coming from? Sometimes it’s less about the closet and more about the whole room’s humidity. I’ve had tenants who went all-in on dehumidifiers and it made a bigger difference than any door hack.
Also, those stick-on panels are useless in my experience. They just look like a bandaid solution and don’t move enough air to matter. If you’re worried about looks, maybe try a compact dehumidifier with a hose drain—less maintenance, no ugly doors, and you keep your stuff dry. Is there a reason you’re not just running a dehumidifier in the room instead of the closet? Sometimes that’s all it takes to solve both the mold and the hair problems at once.
