Spam: Preparing Your Home for the Monsoon

 

With the onslaught of the monsoon, here are some tips to prepare your house and ensure that it is a comfortable place to live in. "As rain drops keep falling on our heads", it is time to take measures to ensure that our houses are not only weatherproof but are also well equipped and decorated to keep us warm and dry during the monsoon. Making it more liveable

Colours: On a cold rainy day, it is ideal that your house is decorated in bright colours to liven up your mood. Reserve blue and green colours for the summer heat. The monsoon calls for lively bright and warm colours such as yellows and oranges to brighten up your rooms. Ideally dark colours should be avoided as the skies are generally overcast and you want whatever light that enters your house to be maximised by light colours and other reflective surfaces. At the same time, avoid very light colours such as white and beige. These are colours which are very difficult to keep clean during a muddy monsoon. Reduce the amount of greenery inside the house. In fact, with the onslaught of the monsoon, it is the ideal time to keep your plants out in the rain to get watered naturally. Plastic plants such as green ferns can be replaced with colourful ones such as plastic yellow sunflowers or orchids.

Carpet Care: Roll away that expensive Persian carpet for the monsoon. Ensure that once rolled, the carpet is covered in a plastic sheet. This will reduce the chances of moisture or accidental leakages damaging the carpet. Invest in a bright, multi-coloured machine made acrylic washable carpet. These are light carpets and will dry faster than a Persian carpet if it gets wet. A more water-resistant option is a carpet made out of PET fibres. These are polyethylene and terephthalate fibres, made from recycled plastics. These carpets may not be as plush or soft to the feel as other synthetic fibres but they are very durable, water, static resistant, and offer extremely good value. They are also treated to be moisture and mildew resistant. A cheaper alternative to this would be a decorative bamboo or coir mat.

Window Drapes: Monsoon season is the time to have translucent window drapes. Invest in lace curtains or curtains without lining to ensure that the daylight passing through will bathe the room in a suffused glow. These curtains will allow sufficient amount of light to enter the room and at the same time provide the privacy that you seek. Taking Precautions Storing important documents: Water is a menace for books and important documents. Ideally, keep important documents such as your passport, driving licence, title deeds, etc. in a waterproof, zip-lock case or box. Ensure that you have photocopies of this document similarly protected in another place in the house. Stocking up: If the rain is pouring down for days and the streets are water-logged, you may not be able to venture out of your house for some time. Remember to stock up with enough food items and other basic necessities in advance to prepare for such circumstances. Another thing to ensure is that you have torch lights, emergency lamps, and extra fuel for generators, or a backup battery for your UPS. Preparing for the rains: Ensure that your house can withstand the onslaught of the rain. Fill up any minute cracks with plaster of paris or white cement until more professional restoration work can be undertaken. Fill gaps between sliding windows with rubber lining to keep water from seeping through on a windy, rainy day. If you have metal surfaces that you suspect could get rusty, treat them with a waterproofing spray. Care should be taken to prep the outside of the house as well if you are not living in a flat. Ensure that the drains and culverts around the house are not clogged. Rake leaves regularly and dispose of them to ensure that rain water will not drag them into the drainage system. Cut down branches that you feel are likely to fall in a rain. Ensure that the water drains on your roof are working well; otherwise water may stagnate on the roof and start seeping through the ceiling and walls. Ensure that you designate an area to dry off wet umbrellas and raincoats. Somewhere close to the front entrance is ideal, as you would have guests coming in with their wet raingear. Remember to keep a good waterproof doormat in front of your house so that people can reduce the amount of mud that they might unintentionally bring in. It’s the rainy season and the greenery catches your eye. Nature thrives everywhere…including your cupboard! As the humidity level rises your carpets, upholstery, walls, bed linen, wardrobes retain the moisture and dampness too. You can also notice mould formation in the un-aired cupboards. Dampness In Your Cupboard? Keep any of these inside to keep the moisture at bay.

A saucer with cloves. A box with quicklime or a block of camphor is good too and besides it will also bring a tangy aroma to the closet. A jar full of salt. A jar full of charcoal briquettes or a coffee tin will keep dampness away. Keep away musty odors by placing perfumed bath salts in the bottom of the cupboard.

Dampness In The Room Place a piece of camphor in the room. It will evaporate, leaving the room dry Dampness In Your Bed? The walls become practically damp during this season. It can be due to condensation or some leakage through the walls or ceiling. Place a silver foil over the damp area inside the room. If the side touching the wall is wet then the dampness comes from outside. Call for professional help. Identify the location of the leakage and water proof accordingly. Improve ventilation to stop condensation inside the room, for e.g. an extractor fan on the windows would be the solution.

Source: http://www.indiaparenting.com/homedecor/decoratehome/data/decorate034.shtml http://www.tips4me.com/tips/homehints/others_main.asp?file=/monthly/july/cv_07_28.htm from BPCL Petrozine