I have been away for a week. I came home to find that when I opened my closet, there were little beads of water puddles by the hundreds of the floor. My shoes were not wet. This closet is normally the coldest place in my apartment, even without an air vent. What caused this?
By Tam E.
What I believe is happening is warm moist air in getting into the closet and coming in contact with the cold walls and other cold areas and forming water droplets. You can see the same effect when you have a glass filled with a liquid and ice cubes on a warm summer day. Water droplets form on the cold exterior of the glass. You could leave the closet door open or maybe turned on light bulb in the closet would have enough heat to warm the air to prevent the condensation from forming.
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I have a small child in the house, so this is very scary. I looked in my closet and I saw that there was mildew everywhere. There is a vent beside the closet that has cold air blowing out of it so I guess the moisture from that caused it, but I'm not sure how to get rid of the mildew for good. I bleached everything, but I'm not sure that is good enough! What should I do?
By britt21nicole from Paduxah, KY
Finding and fixing the root cause of the moisture is the only real way to stop it. Temporarily, you can mix a cleaning solution of one cup of bleach to one gallon of hot water, and wearing gloves, apply the mixture to the closet surface with a sponge, and allow to dry.
This should help fade the mildew, although you may have to do it several times. Be sure to keep the solution away from your child, and keep the child away from the midew---it can cause many illnesses and allergies.
How do I get rid of mildew in closets?
By joe poleo from Louisburg, NC
I had the same problem years ago. I discovered the moisture was coming from under the house. I didn't have any leaks, just dampness from the dirt. I did two things; 1) insulated the floors under the house, and 2) laid down a vapor barrier (strong thick plastic sheeting). The problem went away almost immediately.
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I have found mildew on shoes and a leather jacket in 2 of my closets. Many of our coats smell of mildew too. Our house is very humid as well. Any suggestions to get rid of the mildew and humidity?
When I opened my closet today, there is a strong smell of musty mildew. This has not been there before, although two times this winter, the sleeve on my sweater was damp when I took it out of the closet.
