Damp Wardrobes....

[Amber1571]

Hi, can anyone tell me why my wardrobes are damp, hence making the contents inside damp? The wardrobes are on an outside wall, and there is no damp in the house, if you know what I mean.

Please help!

x

[RATTER15]

Its condensation, you need to move them from the outside wall.

[Ethel]

Probably a result of lack of ventilation and condensation.

Make sure your wardrobes are not overful - the air needs to circulate. Be sure your clothes are properly aired to remove the last traces of moisture before putting them in the wardrobe.

Leave a small gap between the back of the wardrobe and the wall.

If at all possible, drill a few small holes in the back of the cupboard.

Increase ventilation in the room generally. Leave a window open just a little whenever possible.

Hopefully that will cure the problem.

[buildersmate]

Because the wardrobes are on an outside wall and the air isn't circulating much, the temperature inside the cupboared is lower than the rest of the room. All air in a house has water vapour in it - it comes naturally from breathing, showers, drying clothes etc. Cooler air is less able to contain water vapour, so it condenses out as water droplets. This is happening inside the cupboard because the air is cooler.
In the first instance, try leaving the doors open at night to see if the problem goes away (bit of a bind, I know, but it is dark). If it goes away, you would either have to find a way of insulating the inside of the outside wall, or put a low wattage heater in there - say 50W.

[RATTER15]

Well I wanted to say all that above stuff, just couldn't be bothered to do all that typing. Anyway my answer is still the most foolproof.

[CSG2306]

Hi,

If you insulate the outside wall you will cure the problem, i.e cavity wall insulation.

Regards

[BriWrite]

A dehumidifier would help a lot.

[buildersmate]

You will have spotted, Ratteris, that 3 of us must have been furiously typing at the same time - with similar ideas. I wouldn't have contributed if the two answers above mine had been input before I started.

[stevie-p]

Im sure you can get some kind of crystals that you put in a bucket that draws the damp,i had some once an in just 2 days the bucket had water in it...maybe worth a try.

[janetsflower]

The guys are all right with their answers about ventilation etc but the solution is much simpler - you need to buy more shoes cos shoes come in boxes with those little packets of silica gel in them which absorbs the mositure - the more shoes you buy the more packets you get and the more mositure is absorbed and the problem is solved. Much better solution don't you agree??

[buildersmate]

I've heard many reasons for the female of the species needing more shoes, but that's definitely the best yet.