HELP! Mold in closet!

[sociobud]

I noticed there is mold in my closet. It started on one wall and is spreading. I touched that wall and its wet. I touched the other walls, and they're dry. I have a fan, but its blowing AWAY from the mold.

I know how to get rid of mold, but what do I do when my plants are in flower? I'm sure my ladies won't like to share the closet with chemicals. They will have to be moved while the closet is cleaned and air dries. Do I do this during the light or dark time??? Is there something specific that I can use that's safer for my ladies?

Why is there mold? I know its not something wrong with my house, because I don't have mold anywhere except here. I don't have an exhaust fan in the closet. I figured the fan plus leaving the door open periodically would be enough.

Anyone else have this problem? What can I do to prevent it? What can I do to remedy it now?

I have photos, but for some reason, I can't upload them now. I'll try again later.

sociobud Reviewed by sociobud on 01-14-2008. HELP! Mold in closet! I noticed there is mold in my closet. It started on one wall and is spreading. I touched that wall and its wet. I touched the other walls, and they're dry. I have a fan, but its blowing AWAY from the mold. I know how to get rid of mold, but what do I do when my plants are in flower? I'm sure my ladies won't like to share the closet with chemicals. They will have to be moved while the closet is cleaned and air dries. Do I do this during the light or dark time??? Is there something specific Rating: 5

[PharmaCan]

You need to find out why that one wall is wet. Until you get rid of the moisture, you won't get rid of the mold.

PC :smokin:

[gainesvillegreen]

Careful application of a diluted bleach and water mixture. You could mix a couple of caps full of bleach into a gallon of water and use a sponge to apply it to the wall. As long as you are careful while applying it (avoiding letting it hit the plants), your problem should start to disappear. Try another application a few days after that.

As mentioned, you need to find out why your wall is molding. Is there any known source the moisture could be coming from?

[sociobud]

Ok I think I determined WHY I have mold. What's happening is the walls are getting wet due to the increase of humidity from lack of ventilation. There's low ventilation because I light proofed the closet so well. I have no idea how to install an exhaust fan. I don't really want to get in the attic to run the electric, so I don't know what else to do. So far, I've been opening my closet for 15 min or so a couple times a day. I put another very small fan in the closet as well to help with circulation. I put a "shield" up to direct the light to the plants to cut down on light loss when door is open.

Any other suggestions? Does anyone know an alternative to installing a hardwired exhaust fan??

[stinkyattic]

Any other suggestions? Does anyone know an alternative to installing a hardwired exhaust fan??

Home DePOT, 6" 'duct booster fan', 6 foot 'power tool replacement cord', 3 wire nuts, about $30.
Twist and cap white to white, black to black, green to ground.
Plug into wall and enjoy.

[dejayou30]

Simply opening the door isn't enough to replace the air inside, so it is remaining hot, moist and stagnant - perfect for mold. You NEED some kind of exhaust fan in there to pull air out and take it somewhere else. My squirrel cage fan came with a regular grounded plug that plugs into a normal outlet, so no hard wiring is required. You may, however, need to cut a hole for the air to exhaust, but that is pretty easy, IMO. Case in point, you need to be constantly moving air out of the room or you will have moldy buds.

[sociobud]

I'm going to Lowes tomorrow and buying a plug-in exhaust fan. I looked it up and they're like $20. I'll have to cut a hole in my ceiling (to the attic), but like you said, pretty easy.

Once its installed, do I run the fan continuously?

[stinkyattic]

Yes. Exhaust high, intake low. If you want to be even more efficient, a similar fan installed LOW in the room set up as an active INTAKE would be sweet.
A keyhole saw is helpful. When cutting plaster, wear a dust mask and CHECK BEFOREHAND for electrical wiring in the space through which you are cutting!