Damp/mould in fitted wardrobes

lauraj27

Hi there, 

A few years ago we had a fitted wardrobe designed and installed by a well known national company and we paid a lot of money for it. The reason we used this company was because the room in question has a sloped ceiling and there was no where else a wardrobe could be placed in that particular room and nothing on the market that was flat packed/ready made would fit. 

Unfortunately since its installation we have had issues with the wardrobe, in particular the section of the wardrobe nearest the external wall; so much so that it is completely unusable. We have tried numerous times to resolve the issue with the company, however, they are not interested and anytime I have called them they have hung up on me and emails go unanswered. 

The wall in the wardrobe has constantly been covered in mould and the wall feels very cold to the touch as well as being a damp/musty smell; hence we cannot use it to store anything in.  I do wipe the wall regularly but it always comes back, 

I have put dehumidifiers in there - the unibond ones, as well as hanging ones and anything I can get my hands on, however, they get used up very quickly and this is only a very short term solution and still prevents us from using the space at all. 

We are looking to get external wall insulation as the house has render, however, that won't be until the Spring at the earliest and I'm not sure if that will solve the issue. 

I am tempted to just tear the fitted wardrobe out completely, however, we will still need a wardrobe in that space and I want to avoid getting into the situation that we have found ourselves in again. 

If anyone can offer any advice or guidance on what we can do to either make the space usable or if we do tear the wardrobe out how we can prevent the same issue occurring that would be much appreciated. 

ilikewatch2

To me it sounds like the external wall has an ongoing damp issue, and by installing fitted wardrobes you've stopped it getting any ventilation and exacerbated the problem. I'd be looking to identify and remedy the cause of the damp problem (failed render or flashing? blocked gutters?) and increasing ventilation to the wall as much as possible in the meantime.

GDB2222

You clearly have a problem of penetrating damp in that wardrobe, probably through the external wall, but just possibly through the ceiling. How about a photo of that wall, taken from the outside, please? 

Any wardrobe you put against that wall will have a damp problem until you sort out the water ingress. I'm not surprised that the wardrobe company have given up taking your calls, I'm afraid, as they presumably have already told you this repeatedly. 

If you want a sticking plaster solution, a decent mains operated dehumdifier will dry it out. The unibond ones are simply not man enough for the job.

neilmcl

Can we assume that you have solid external walls, judging by the fact you're looking to get EWI.

If so, I doubt it's anything to do with penetrating damp etc but simply down to lack of ventilation and warm air sitting up against a cold external wall causing condensation and a breeding ground for mould. This happens a lot when people fit wardrobes up against solid external walls and I doubt the installers fitted any sort insulation barrier between the back of the wardrobe and the wall.

As a temporary fix you'll need to kill off any mould spores inside the wardrobe with a bleach solution and put some insulation panels on the inside back wall, but ultimately you'll probably need to remove the it altogether and insulate the walls themselves.

another_casualty

I can only give a slight comparison to your situation op:
I live in a gd flr converted Victorian flat , rendered walls etc. There was dampness in my main bedroom .  I have to be mindful of ventilation by using my mains powered dehumidifier in the colder months . Also either opening windows or trickle vents daily.
It all seems to be under control now 🤞

When I moved into the flat, I did briefly think of a fitted wardrobe . However, I think if I did, I would have the same situation as you have . I have a wardrobe which is not pushed against the wall and the external wall is not wet thankfully . Reading this post just made me double check.  

I finally got round to changing the trickle vents a few months ago. Something I should have done when I moved in over 4 years ago. 

The 'only ' thing I have as far as I can see is dust at side of wardrobe and back . I thought it was mold but the parts I could reach around the skirting board seem to be less dirt when tackled with a long feathered duster.  No marks anywhere else behind wardrobe .
I do sometimes get black mold ( minimal ) around the double glazing from time to time , but flash wipes clean that off fairly quickly .
It does seem that you may have to dismantle wardrobe for ventilation , and possibly get a chest of drawers or a wardrobe less bulky that doesn't cover the entire area ..

lauraj27

Thank you for the replies. 

The wardrobe came with a 10 year warranty/guarantee and when it was being designed we specifically asked whether ventilation/insulation  would need to be put in / whether it could be put in and got told it wasn't necessary. 

When I called to raise the issue that had occurred, including citing the above, I basically got told in spite of the 10 year warranty/guarantee any problems with the wardrobe had to be claimed for on our house insurance, even though ultimately the wardrobe is not fit for purpose as we can't actually use it for anything. 


The walls are solid wall and not cavity hence the EWI.  The gutters have been cleaned regularly and we had the chimney repointed about a year ago and whilst they were up there they checked the roof and took photos of it and there were no issues found. 

If anyone can recommend a decent mains operated dehumidifier as all the ones I have found on Amazon do not seem to be that good. 

Unfortunately I am having trouble uploading a photo so will have to keep trying on that front. 

another_casualty

I have an ebac one purchased from the Amazon .
Its a smart one ( not the cheapest ) but I just leave it on to do it's thing, and empty the container about every 2 days . It has many functions from drying clothes to whatever.
It looks nice and not too ...industrial looking .

GDB2222

You need to reduce the moisture and improve the ventilation and insulation.

You can start by making sure you dry all washing outside, or use a tumble dryer that's vented.

Open the windows a bit, especially at night if there are people sleeping in the room. 

another_casualty

Have you got legal cover on your contents insurance ? May be worth enquiring about the problems with the company if you have..

lauraj27

another_casualty said:

I can only give a slight comparison to your situation op:
I live in a gd flr converted Victorian flat , rendered walls etc. There was dampness in my main bedroom .  I have to be mindful of ventilation by using my mains powered dehumidifier in the colder months . Also either opening windows or trickle vents daily.
It all seems to be under control now 🤞

When I moved into the flat, I did briefly think of a fitted wardrobe . However, I think if I did, I would have the same situation as you have . I have a wardrobe which is not pushed against the wall and the external wall is not wet thankfully . Reading this post just made me double check.  

I finally got round to changing the trickle vents a few months ago. Something I should have done when I moved in over 4 years ago. 

The 'only ' thing I have as far as I can see is dust at side of wardrobe and back . I thought it was mold but the parts I could reach around the skirting board seem to be less dirt when tackled with a long feathered duster.  No marks anywhere else behind wardrobe .
I do sometimes get black mold ( minimal ) around the double glazing from time to time , but flash wipes clean that off fairly quickly .
It does seem that you may have to dismantle wardrobe for ventilation , and possibly get a chest of drawers or a wardrobe less bulky that doesn't cover the entire area ..

The difficulty with this is that there isn't anything on the market that is suitable for the space which was one of the reasons we went for a fitted wardrobe. A chest of drawers isn't viable as it will mean that there won't be anywhere to hang up any clothes that need hanging up. 

We spent a lot of money on the fitted wardrobe and I can't help thinking it was a complete waste and it it us going to cost a lot to put it right. It obviously needs doing its just galling. 

How easy was it to replace the trickle vents as I think ours do need replacing

another_casualty

You may have seen my post about insurance cover above . Anyway ;
The trickle vents  ..they come in different sizes. I was apprehensive myself , but managed to find the right ones again ..from the Amazon . Only a few quid for all windows that needed them. In my case 4 
Changing them was a lot easier that I thought . You just need a flat headed screwdriver 
Use screwdriver to gently slide into the clips on either side , and lift out .
Then unscrew the screws .  You may want to give the area a wipe before doing direct replacement .