It is highly disconcerting to open your wardrobe ready to wear a favorite dress only to find it filled with mold. Whereas most people are keen about ridding mold in other areas of the house such as the kitchen and the bathroom, sadly the wardrobe is forgotten. In the same manner that the mold in the bathroom and the kitchen or on the walls can get you sick, mold on your clothes can also give you an infection or an allergy.
Despite the fact that different people react to mold in a room differently, more often than not, mold will affect your health one way or another. You need to understand why mold occurs to know which areas to search for in your wardrobe.
Mold loves areas that have humidity, are dark, and stuffy. Whereas your wardrobe fits the description of dark and stuffy, one may wonder how it gets humidity. Humidity occurs due to condensation brought about by the differing temperatures in a day. The heat and the cold variations create condensation of water droplets in the air and with time, the area becomes humid or stuffy.
To avoid mold ruining your favorite outfit, keep the following in mind:
- Never place damp clothes in the wardrobe
If you pick washed laundry that feels damp or even cold, do not place it in the wardrobe. Air it out for another day to ensure it is dry. Clothes should not necessarily feel cardboard dry, but they should not feel cold to the touch.
- Keep wet boots out
A common mistake is placing wet boots in closets and wardrobes. The best thing to do is to get accustomed to not putting boots after use back in their storage area. Ensure after you use them, they are wiped down and left to dry before returning them in the closet.
In an effort to avoid dripping boots spoiling your floor, many people stash them in the nearest closet unaware they are creating the best breeding ground for mold with all the water and the dirt.
- Put in a dehumidifier
Invest in a good dehumidifier for your wardrobe or even the whole house to keep the humidity below the recommended 60%. Adopt this especially if you live in an area that is hot and humid most of the year.
- Light is enemies with mold
Closet and wardrobe lighting comes in very handy when you want to search for particular items in the corners or just want to see your clothes better. This lighting might as well as double up as a heating element to ensure that your wardrobe has dry air all of the time. You can get the bulbs that emit both light and heat for this case.
- Keep those doors open
Nothing gets rid of mold better that the sun. It provides both heat and light that drives mold away. Ensure you open the windows and doors in your house during the day to allow for the natural light and ventilation. Open wardrobe doors as well and ruffle up the clothes every now and then. When night approaches close the windows up early enough.
- Avoid humid promoting heating methods
During the night and especially in the cold season, many resort to various ways of keeping warm in their rooms. Opt for humidity free methods. Keep away from steaming up the room and kerosene heaters. These increase the humidity levels in the room making it a good breeding ground for mold.
- Keep things clean
Mold food is the house fluff on walls, paint, and other particles in the air and dirt as well. Such particles readily stick to the clothes you wear. Avoid mixing up dirty clothes and clean clothes in the same wardrobe. Get a separate laundry basket for your clothes and keep them in the air as opposed to in a closed place. Even if you have worn the item once and it does not see dirty find a way to separate the clothes. Those in the wardrobe should always be clean and fresh.
Remember that mold spores travel rapidly through the air and reproduce within days. Hence, once you spot mold even in one area of the house it is best you start cleaning and ventilating the whole house.
Chad is interested in home improvement, particularly about mold removal NJ and writes extensively about it.