What is the HVAC system and climate? How large is the closet?

Direct sunlight is not a good idea in a closet and you would never open it.

We are in Los Angeles, about a mile from the ocean. Before our remodel, one of the problems was dampness in the house mostly because of poor ventilation and the damp air of our location. With improved airflow in the house and insulation (no insulation in the original house and a damp crawlspace underneath) this should be less of a problem.

Still, I notice the air in the closet of our temporary home seems stale and with shoes and all, sometimes has off smells.

I think some natural light would be nice, hence the skylight. For ventilation would I install a fan like in a bathroom or just a vent of some sort?

size, HVAC?

No air conditioning. Don't need it here.

Closet is about 8' X 8'

There are lots of windows and doors to the outside in all the rooms of the house

Ventilation: yes. Skylight, no. You don't want your clothes to fade.

I'm curious to see what ventilation strategy for
a home with no a/c,
Sorry I can't be of help, we put a supply grill for
a/c in closets & baths here.

as far as the skylight goes there are good ones out
there Vellux (I believe) has low e coatings which
will filter out uv and heat and add light.

the negative is that you are cutting a hole in your
roof so proper install and flashing are a must.
the install is the biggest problem I encounter with
my clients and the installer of the skylight.
even with a top notch install, it only delays
the not if it will leak, but when.
I would give this some thought...

for less cost/worry than the skylight you could install
more lights.There are qiute a few options that are energy
efficient and will work well.

although I'm not a fan of recessed lights..if you look
at that as an option make sure that you get ICAT
cans insulation contact air tight instead of the standard
IC light. IC will allow hot air from attic and reduce the
value of the insulation surrounding it in the attic.
Buy ICAT and put cfl's if you go that route,

best of luck.

I lived in the Bay Area for a while so I understand not using hvac for most of the year.

How about a exhaust fan with a light? That way you'll get some air exchange every time you go in there. I understand some fans like the panasonics are so quiet you can hardly hear them operating.

energy rater la, it never occurred to me to get AC in my home. We are installing plenty of windows, positioned to take advantage of air currents.

I can't stand being in a building with all the windows closed in the summer. I'm sure there are parts of the country where that's really uncomfortable, but it's not an issue for us here.

I do notice that all the new builds in my neighborhood get AC installed. Why, I don't know. Seems like such a waste of energy.

We are putting recessed lights in the closets. I'm not sure what kind they are but the ceilings are vaulted so there's no attic.

cheifneil, I'll look into exhaust fans and see what I find.

I'm just surprised that venting a closet doesn't seem to be a standard practice. Is it because most houses have AC?
What did they do in "the olden days"? Oh yeah, they had those teeny little closets (if that) and were lucky to get one new piece of clothing every few years :-)

Yikes! Just googled current weather. It's hotter and muggier here in TO (Toronto) than sunny LA. And we do tend to get a bit more snow.

No skylights in a closet. It justs fades your clothes and builds up heat. I always have HVAC vents in walk-in closets. Running the fan year round circulates air at a minimal cost.

Maybe an exhaust fan? Our master closets have HVAC supplies. Clothes hanging in the closets get *dusty*. The rest of the house does not. The blowers have have Aprilaire 5" thick air filtration systems and flow-through humidifiers.

Are there filters I could place directly on the closet supplies? Cheesecloth DIY? These are floor supply vents. No returns in the closets.

We have a fixed obscure transom. We have enough light, but not too much to fade clothes. You could have an operable one for ventilation if your closet has an exterior wall?

Well if most houses have a/c in your area, then there is the answer. Install a/c. A/C is not really that much of a waste when you don't need a lot of it. I personally think for humidity control, it might not be a bad thing.

I'm trying to remember the weather and air quality. I lived in the Marina for awhile and it seemed pretty humid sometimes. Inland of course, a/c is a must.

Why not a window in the closet? A small one with good coverage so that it won't get sun. Seems like the cheapest option.

The reason you are having a time with this of course is that most people have a/c. Since you are trying to avoid that, a window or exhaust fan are your reasonable options. A skylight (even low e) is a bad idea.

Large rooms without venting is a bad idea -- I have a large walk-in closet 8x8x12 high and wish I put at least an opening vent on wall to hallway.

On a previous sailboat I used to get mold in Vbirth. I cut a solar powered fan into the opening hatch -- it was designed to suck up air and out the boat. Worked like a dream and no water ever got thru....