"Just a compact one, nothing fancy or expensive, but it pulled out way more moisture than I expected."
Interesting you mention the dehumidifier—I tried one too, but honestly found it a bit of a hassle emptying the tank constantly. Ended up installing small vent grilles instead; cheaper and zero maintenance... worked surprisingly well.
Yeah, vent grilles can definitely help in some cases, especially if the closet is near an exterior wall or has decent airflow. I had a similar issue myself—tried a small dehumidifier first, and it did pull out a surprising amount of moisture, but emptying the tank every day got old real quick. Plus, the noise was kind of annoying at night.
Ended up installing a passive vent grille at the bottom of the closet door and another one higher up on the opposite wall to encourage air circulation. Honestly, that made a noticeable difference without any ongoing maintenance. But I gotta say, it really depends on your climate and how much humidity you're dealing with. In my experience, if you're somewhere super humid (like Florida-level humidity), passive vents alone might not cut it completely.
Another trick I've used is just placing a container of DampRid or silica gel packs in the corners. They're pretty cheap and low-maintenance, and they do absorb a decent amount of moisture. Not a miracle solution, but definitely helpful as a supplement.
Also, if you haven't already, check the closet walls for insulation issues or hidden leaks. Sometimes mold and excess moisture are symptoms of a bigger problem behind the drywall. Had a friend who kept fighting mold in his closet until he realized there was a tiny leak from the bathroom plumbing next door. Once he fixed that, the mold never came back.
Anyway, glad you found something that works for you. Moldy closets are a pain to deal with, and frizzy hair...well, that's a whole other battle, haha.
You're definitely on the right track with the passive vents. I've dealt with moldy closets more times than I'd like to admit, and air circulation is usually the first thing I tackle. DampRid does help a bit, but honestly, it's more of a band-aid fix if you've got serious humidity issues.
If you're still struggling after vents and moisture absorbers, you might wanna check your HVAC system's return air setup. Had a client whose closet was always damp until we realized their AC wasn't pulling enough humidity out of the air. Adjusting the return vent placement and sealing up duct leaks made a surprising difference.
And yeah, totally agree about hidden leaks—had another project where mold kept popping up until we found a tiny roof leak trickling down behind drywall. Once that got patched, problem solved.
Anyway, sounds like you've already tried some solid solutions and you're making good progress. Mold can be stubborn as hell, so props for sticking with it. Now if only frizzy hair were as straightforward to fix...
Passive vents and HVAC adjustments can definitely help, but I'd caution against relying too heavily on AC alone to fix humidity. In my experience, even a well-tuned HVAC system struggles if the closet's insulation isn't up to par. Had a project once where we chased our tails tweaking ducts until finally realizing the insulation behind the drywall was subpar. Once we beefed that up, humidity dropped significantly. Might be worth checking out if you're still hitting walls with mold...
Glad you brought up insulation. I'm tackling my first reno right now and had a similar head-scratching moment. Thought the AC would be my hero against mold and humidity, but nope...turns out my closet walls were basically cotton candy insulation from the '80s. Once I swapped it out for something decent, things improved big time—less mold, less frizz (my hair thanked me too, lol). HVAC tweaks do help, but insulation was the real game changer. Might wanna peek behind your drywall before you chase your tail with ductwork adjustments. Good luck!