Mould, Moisture & The Ensuite That’s Ruining Your Wardrobe

Let’s talk about something gross.
Not just annoying gross—“my clothes smell like mushrooms” gross.

Mould.

It’s turning up in all the wrong places. Inside walk-in robes. On the ceiling. Behind your bedhead. In your wardrobe. On your curtains. Even in your winter coats.

And 9 times out of 10? It’s not the building’s fault.

It’s that designer open-plan ensuite you thought looked divine on Pinterest.
The one that has no door on the shower, or on the room!
No chance of drying out properly.
Hot air + cold surfaces = condensation central.

And now your favourite shirt smells like it was stored in a compost bin.

Here’s What’s Actually Happening…

You shower.
The steam rises.
But instead of being sucked out through a proper exhaust fan, or contained within an enclosed shower cubicle (hello Showerdome!), it floats into your bedroom. Or worse, the steam travels via your walk-through robe from ensuite to bedroom. 

It lingers in the air. Gets into your curtains. Your carpet. Your clothes.

And because modern homes are sealed up tight (which is good for energy efficiency), that humid air doesn’t go anywhere. It just stays. Sits. Soaks. Grows.

And eventually… that slightly damp smell turns into black spots on your walls, on your windows and curtains and on the clothes, shoes and bags in your wardrobe. 

Why Mould Is Winning

Mould only needs three things:

• Moisture (you’re providing that with your shower)
• Something to eat (dust, wood, fabric… your wardrobe is a buffet)
• Still air (closed doors, sealed rooms, zero movement)

Add those together and you’ve got a perfect little petri dish.

The worst part?
It’s preventable. Completely.

These Design Trends Are Ruining Aussie Homes

Let’s call them out:

• Open showers with no enclosure 
• Ensuites that flow into walk-in robes with no doors 
• Bathrooms with no windows or useless fans that don’t vent outside
• Robes jammed full of clothing with zero airflow
• Unventilated bedrooms with wall-to-wall carpet, drapes and no exhaust system

Looks cute on Instagram.
Feels like a damp tent in winter.

Here’s How to Actually Fix It

If you’ve got any of the above going on, this is what works:

✅ Get serious about bathroom extraction

Not the ceiling fan that vents into your roof space.
A real exhaust fan that pushes humid air outside the house.

✅ Close off open ensuites

Yes, we said it.
That sexy, open bathroom needs a door.

✅ Dehumidifiers for the win

Cheap ones work okay.
Good ones are silent, efficient, and will change your winter forever.
Especially in bedrooms, robes, and bathrooms with poor ventilation.

✅ Subfloor insulation 

If your house sits on stumps, you’ve got cold floors.
Cold floors + warm air = condensation underneath.
Install a polyester underfloor insulation and you’re protected from the bottom up.

(Spoiler: We can help with that. And we do it better than anyone else.)

✅ Let your clothes breathe

Those sealed plastic tubs? Bad idea.
Pack your wardrobe too tight? Bad idea.
No ventilation? Really bad idea.

Reduce the moisture in the room and get your humidifier to work.  

What To Avoid

• Sprays to “mask” the smell

• Leaving the fan on for 2 mins and hoping it worked

• Ignoring the wet patches in your robe

• Hoping the mould just “goes away in summer”

Mould doesn’t just go away.
It waits. It spreads. And it ruins the insulation, the timber, and the indoor air quality that your family is breathing every day.

The ecoMaster Bottom Line?

Insulation without controlled ventilation is a fail.
Energy efficiency without moisture control is a trap.
And that open ensuite trend? It’s gotta go.

You want a dry, healthy, mould-free home?
Then start with:

• Smart layout
• Proper airflow
• Vapour control (underfloor, ceiling, walls – all of it)
• Products that don’t absorb moisture and fall apart

But your ensuite is not the only source of mould

Read this excellent article written by Tim Forcey about condensation and mould. 

Tim comprehensively covers many aspects of mould in a home, more than just the bedroom.