Dehumidifier for Wardrobe: Stop Mould on Clothes, Shoes and Bags

Do you know that a dehumidifier for wardrobe protection can save your clothes, shoes and bags from mould in rainy season? Yes, a dehumidifier keep the moisture of your bedroom air low, and when the room air stay dry, the clothes, shoes and bags inside your wardrobe also stays dry and fresh.

Many families in Kolkata opens their almirah after monsoon and finds musty smell in the clothes, white spots on leather bags and green fungus on shoes. Because the average humidity of the city goes up to 82 to 83 percent in July and August as per IMD climate data. A closed wardrobe in such humid room become like a small box of wet air, with very little air movement inside it.

Why Do Wardrobes Get Mould and a Musty Smell?

Mould need moisture, still air and something to feed on for growing, and a wardrobe give mould all three of these things. The cotton, silk, wool and leather inside your wardrobe are natural materials which mould can feed on easily. When wardrobe door stays closed for many days, the air inside do not move at all and the moisture stays on your clothes.

As per the US National Park Service guidance for museum storage, the relative humidity should always be kept below 65 percent. And when it goes above 65 percent, portable dehumidifiers becomes necessary for bringing the moisture down. A Kolkata bedroom in August month can easily stay above this level for weeks together.

Leather have one more problem, as leather keeps on taking moisture from the air around it. As per Leather International, the moisture uptake of typical chrome tanned leather goes up a lot when relative humidity is above 65 percent. That is why, your leather shoes and leather bags are first things to get spoilt in rainy season.

Signs Your Wardrobe Has a Moisture Problem

You do not need any machine for finding out if your wardrobe is too damp, as your wardrobe shows some signs on its own. When you open wardrobe door and get musty or sour smell, when leather bags, belts and shoes gets white or grey powder like spots, or when cotton clothes gets small black or green dots on collar and folds, then the moisture in your wardrobe is too high. Leather items that feels soft, sticky or swollen, clothes that feels cold and damp even though you kept them fully dry, and water drops or damp patches on the back wall of wardrobe also points to same moisture problem.

If you see two or more of these signs, then the humidity of your room is surely too high. You can also buy a small hygrometer and keep it inside the wardrobe. If hygrometer shows above 60 to 65 percent for most of the day, then it is time for taking action.

Can a Room Dehumidifier Protect a Wardrobe?

Yes, a room dehumidifier can protect your wardrobe. In fact it is the most practical way for protecting a full wardrobe, as a wardrobe is not a sealed box. The air inside wardrobe keeps on mixing with the air of the room through small gaps near the hinges and the lock. So when you keep your room air dry with dehumidifier, the air inside your wardrobe also become dry with time.

You can run the dehumidifier in the bedroom or walk in closet where your wardrobe is kept, with the room door and windows closed. You should also open the wardrobe doors for some time daily, so that dry air can go inside it.

Many people uses small moisture absorber boxes or sachets inside their almirah for controlling the moisture. Those moisture absorbers are fine for one shelf or one box only. But they can not handle the moisture of whole room in Kolkata monsoon, as moist air from the room keeps on coming inside every time you open the door. That is why, a sachet alone is not enough when whole room is damp.

Which Dehumidifier Size Suits a Bedroom or Walk In Closet?

For most bedrooms and walk in closets, you do not need very big dehumidifier, and the Aavta London range have two dehumidifier models which suits this job well.

• Aavta 12 Litre Dehumidifier: removes up to 12 litres per day, covers rooms up to 1,200 cubic feet (around 120 sq ft with a 10 ft ceiling), 1.8 litre tank, 38 dB, Rs 24,000.
• Aavta 20 Litre Dehumidifier: removes up to 20 litres per day, covers rooms up to 2,000 cubic feet (around 200 sq ft with a 10 ft ceiling), 4 litre tank, 45 dB, Rs 35,000.

So, for a small bedroom or a walk in closet, the Aavta 12 litre dehumidifier is enough, and it is also the quieter model which is helpful if the dehumidifier runs in your bedroom at night. For a bigger master bedroom or a ground floor room that stays damp, you should go for the Aavta 20 litre dehumidifier. Both of these dehumidifiers have continuous drainage, so you can connect a pipe and run the dehumidifier for long hours without emptying the tank again and again.

How to Care for Leather, Silk and Shoes in Humid Months

The dehumidifier does the main job of controlling the moisture, but some simple habits will also protect your clothes and accessories in the humid months.

For leather bags and leather jackets, you should never keep them in plastic covers, as plastic traps the moisture inside the leather. You can use a cotton dust bag in place of a plastic cover, and you should wipe your leather items with a dry cloth once in a while and apply a leather conditioner.

For silk sarees and woollen clothes, you can wrap them in a plain muslin or cotton cloth. You should also take them out and give them some air once in a month on a dry day, even in the monsoon season.

For shoes, you should not keep wet shoes inside the shoe rack. You should first let the shoes dry fully in an open place and then stuff the shoes with old newspaper, which soaks up the moisture from inside the shoes.

For clothes, you should keep only fully dry clothes inside the wardrobe, as even a little dampness in one piece of cloth can spread to the other clothes also. You should not pack your wardrobe too tight, as some gap between the clothes lets the air move inside the wardrobe.

For the wardrobe itself, you should keep the wardrobe a few inches away from the wall, mainly if it is an outer wall of the house. You should also clean the wardrobe from inside with a dry cloth before the monsoon season starts.

Wardrobe Moisture Absorbers vs an Electric Dehumidifier

• Moisture absorber box or sachet: works only inside one shelf or one small box, can not control the humidity of the whole room, needs replacing again and again, costs less for buying, no noise and no electricity.
• Electric dehumidifier: works for the whole bedroom or closet including all the wardrobes in it, keeps the room humidity under control with its automatic humidistat, no refill but only emptying the tank or a drain pipe, costs more for buying and uses electricity, also protects your bed, furniture and walls from damp.

So, our honest advice is that if you have only one small shelf for protecting, then a moisture absorber is fine. But, if your whole room smells damp in the monsoon season, then a dehumidifier is the right solution for you. You can also read our blogs on how dehumidifiers protect furniture from excess moisture and whether a dehumidifier can help with mold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep a dehumidifier inside the wardrobe?

No, it is not a good idea to keep a dehumidifier inside the wardrobe, as a dehumidifier needs free air flow all around it and a closed wardrobe does not have that. You should keep the dehumidifier in the room near the wardrobe and open the wardrobe doors for some time daily.

What humidity is safe for clothes and leather?

A humidity below 60 percent is safe for most clothes. As per the museum storage guidance from the US National Park Service, the humidity should always be kept below 65 percent for stopping mould.

How long should I run the dehumidifier for my wardrobe?

In the monsoon season, you should run the dehumidifier daily, mainly in the evening and at night when the room stays closed. Once the room reaches the set humidity, the dehumidifier will turn off and on by itself.

Will a dehumidifier remove the musty smell from my clothes?

A dehumidifier will stop the musty smell from coming back. But, the clothes that already smell need to be washed and dried fully once, and after that a dry room will keep the clothes fresh.

Is the Aavta 12 litre dehumidifier quiet enough for a bedroom?

Yes, the Aavta 12 litre dehumidifier is quiet enough for a bedroom, as it has a noise level of 38 dB which is the lowest in the Aavta range.

Want to protect your wardrobe this monsoon? Then, call or WhatsApp us at +91 8981224400 and tell us your room size, and we will suggest the right dehumidifier for you. All our products come with a 12 month warranty, and our Kridovia Care team gives service and support within 48 hours.