Damp musty smell in built-in cupboards

[BuryingAcorns]

We have built in wardrobes in our bedrooms, inherited from whoever did the house up before us. They smell so musty I can't put anything in them.

Can't afford to pull them out as that would involve replastering ceiling, walls and laying new carpet as well as buying new wardrobes.

I have tried dehumidifiers which made no difference at all. I've tried washing the interior with a bleach solution and leaving the doors open for a week but when I closed the doors for one day the smell came back. We are redecorating and I really would love to try and sort them out without getting rid of them.

Any suggestions?

Hi, are they on an external wall?

if they smell damp then you need to find the source and sort that first.

Sounds as though there is either insufficient airflow and/or a wet wall behind them. Check the roof, pointing and guttering. If it's so bad you can't put things in the cupboards you might just as take them out to find out what's going on and fix it. Do the cupboards have backs fitted or is the wall of the room at the back?

Yes they are on an external wall. Roof is fine and exterior walls all got painted and made good last year so they are all in good nick.

The back of the cupboard is just the outside wall of the house and there doesn't appear to be an airbrick or other ventilation apart from the bedroom windows.

Are built in cupboards normally fine? I've never had any before, so nothing to compare them with.

Are you heating your house adequately or cutting back? I had very bad black mould on external walls in two fitted wardrobes when I first moved in. I wiped the walls down with mould remover spray and made sure I heated the rooms better, leaving wardrobe doors open to allow warm air in and also the bedroom door open. I made sure to open the bedroom windows most days as well.

All these things helped but a more permanent solution was found when I replaced my boiler for a more powerful one.

@Ilovetocrochet - thank you. That's good advice.

We have had fitted wardrobes in all our bedrooms since we moved in 15 years ago. The small round I used as an office, so the doors rarely got opened. Dc shared a room when little but need their own space now. When moving dd into the small room I noticed the wardrobe smelt musty. No problems with damp I can see, I think just poor air circulation as the doors were never opened. After a good clean with some anti bac spray, keeping the door open and ventilating the room it's okay now.

You need air circulation. Inbuilt cupboards should be linen cupboards, so there should be holes in the doors and slatts (boards with gaps between them) instead of solid shelves. You could just drill some holes into the doors and into the shelves. You could drill little patterns to make it look pretty and intended, or you could fit a vent.

We have some inbuilt cupboards, but on an internal wall. I tend to keep the doors open if the rooms not in use which really helps with the musty smell.