Damp Smell in Cupboards and Wardrobes: Causes and Fixes

Rung 1: Find where the smell comes from (free)

Open the cupboard on a cold morning and look before you sniff. The location of the smell tells you most of what you need.

• Wardrobe on an outside wall, smell strongest at the back: a cold wall with still air behind the furniture.
• Under-stairs or understairs cupboard: little ventilation and often a cold external or party wall.
• Smell with no visible mould: GOV.UK guidance notes that the smell of mould without visible mould can mean it is growing behind a surface such as wallpaper or carpet.
• Tide-marks, bubbling paint or a wet patch that follows rain: that is a leak, not condensation, so check gutters, downpipes and roof finishes outside.

Rung 2: Let the air move (free to cheap)

• Move the wardrobe a few centimetres off the outside wall. GOV.UK guidance stresses leaving a gap between furniture and external walls.
• Leave doors ajar for a few hours after airing the room, and do not pack clothes tightly.
• Never put clothes away damp. Dry washing outside or in a ventilated room, not on radiators in a closed bedroom.
• Heat the room steadily at a modest level rather than in cold spells followed by a hot burst, so the outside wall warms through.

Rung 3: Fix the cause (cheap to moderate)

Clean any mould that has formed. GOV.UK guidance says mould can be removed from hard surfaces with an appropriate cleaning product and should be left to dry completely. Absorbent materials that have become mouldy may have to be thrown away. Then deal with the source. A blocked gutter or leaking downpipe is a repair. A kitchen or bathroom fan that does not vent outside needs fixing, and the guidance recommends working extractor fans and trickle vents on windows. A cheap humidity meter on a shelf shows whether the room itself is damp or only the wall behind the furniture.

Rung 4: When mechanical help makes sense (and when it does not)

If the habits are sorted, there is no leak and the room still runs damp, controlling humidity can help reduce the conditions that mould and dust mites need. A loft-mounted Dryzen unit is one option for an owner-occupied home with a loft. It does not repair leaks, rising damp or a cold wall, it is not suitable for rentals unless the landlord authorises changes, and a home with no loft is not a candidate. One unit covers 150 m2 and extracts 12 litres a day, and the smart app shows temperature and humidity.

Mistakes that keep the smell coming back

• Spraying air freshener and leaving the cause in place.
• Pushing the wardrobe hard against a cold outside wall.
• Filling the wardrobe so tightly that no air can move.
• Wiping mould with a damp cloth and not letting the surface dry completely.
• Assuming it is condensation when it follows rain, which points to a leak.

In Chatham and the Medway Towns

Homes across Chatham and the Medway Towns include older solid-wall houses and newer estates, and cupboards on outside walls are the first to show a problem in either. GOV.UK guidance says insufficiently insulated and heated homes are more prone to condensation on the inside of external walls. Start with your own outside walls, and see our pages for Rochester and Strood for how each area plays out.

Questions we are asked

Related guides

• Black Mould in Bedroom Corners: Find the Cause
• Condensation on Windows: What It Is Telling You
• Drying washing indoors without mould

Local help

• Damp, mould and condensation help in Rochester
• Damp, mould and condensation help in Strood
• Damp, mould and condensation help in Gillingham

Sources: GOV.UK: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home; WHO: Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould.