"Have you tried adding houseplants that naturally absorb humidity, like peace lilies or ferns?"
Plants can help a bit, but honestly, in my experience they're not enough if your humidity issue is serious. Improving ventilation or investing in a small dehumidifier usually makes a bigger difference long-term... especially for mold problems.
especially for mold problems.
Yeah, plants are nice and all, but they're more decoration than solution when mold's involved. Had a rental once where I tried the fern trick—ended up with moldy ferns. Ventilation upgrades and a decent dehumidifier did the trick way better.
Totally agree on the dehumidifier—it's usually the real game changer. Did you happen to check humidity levels before and after installing it? I've found tracking that helps pinpoint what's actually working vs. what's just decorative or placebo...
You're spot on about the humidity tracking—can't emphasize enough how valuable that data is. When I first installed my own dehumidifier, I was skeptical (you know, one more gadget promising miracles...), so I took detailed readings before and after. Humidity in my closets hovered around 75-80% initially—no wonder mold was having a party in there. After running the dehumidifier consistently for a couple of days, it settled down to around 45-50%. The difference was night and day.
Funny thing is, at first, I thought my hair was just randomly behaving better or that I'd finally found the magical shampoo combo. Nope, turns out it was just the humidity dropping. Placebo effect nearly fooled me there! Tracking numbers definitely helped me separate reality from wishful thinking.
One minor thing though—I wouldn't completely discount decorative solutions like moisture absorbers or silica gel packs. Sure, they're not going to do the heavy lifting of a good dehumidifier, but strategically placed packs can still help in tight corners or drawers where airflow isn't great. Plus, they're cheap and easy to replace—low investment for a bit of extra peace of mind.
Also worth mentioning: ventilation matters too. A friend of mine had similar issues and installed a small vent fan in her closet (like those bathroom exhaust types), and it complemented her dehumidifier nicely. Her humidity dropped even lower than mine did with just the standalone unit.
Anyway, glad you're seeing results too. Moldy closets are no joke...and neither is frizzy hair!
Great points here, especially about ventilation. I've found that combining a dehumidifier with improved airflow really makes a difference. One thing I'd add is considering the closet materials themselves—wood shelving or untreated surfaces can absorb moisture and make humidity harder to control. Sealing or painting these surfaces with moisture-resistant finishes helped me a lot. Plus, it freshened up the look of my closets, so win-win.
