Protect your home this monsoon

If you fear the monsoons because you anticipate your belongings will be ruined yet again, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

In this easy guide, we tell you how keep your home and your precious belongings free of moisture this monsoon. After all, your home should be a warm (and clean) shelter from the deluge outside.  

Wardrobe maintenance

If you do not take care of your cupboard, fungus settles and smells creep in. Interior designer Archana Kejriwal, who manages her own firm in Mumbai, shares some tips. 

• Keep silica gel sachets in your wardrobe to combat the moisture.
• Don't keep any damp clothes in the cupboard under any circumstances. 
• Install a low-voltage bulb inside in your shoe cupboard. The heat generated from the bulb will combat the moisture.
• Periodically air your clothes on sunny days to keep them fresh. 
• Other ways to combat moisture and insects in your cupboard are by using camphor balls, neem leaves or sprinkling a few cloves through your clothes.

Jewellery and cash

According to jewellery designer Ameesha Khanna, you need to take special care of silver jewellery. "Gold and diamond jewellery is not really a problem in the rain. But, with silver jewellery, the humidity in the air causes oxidisation," she says.

The best way to prevent this by storing your silver jewellery properly.

Wrap them in tissue or cotton and put them in sealed plastic bags (you can use ziploc plastic bags, available at most supermarkets). Then, store it in a safe or a cupboard where they is not exposed to air or light.

You can store other jewellery in the same way, along with emergency cash, in case you need to grab it and run in the event of a flood.

Leather

Dilip Kapur, president of top leather brand, Hidesign, says, "The problems you are going to face during the monsoon are two-fold: first, the leather might get wet in the rain; second, you might get fungus on the leather when not in use due to high humidity."

Of course, it's best to avoid getting the leather wet. But, even if it does, it is not a disaster as long as the leather you have is of decent quality. 

• If leather gets wet, let the product dry at room temperature. Do not use heat as it would dry out the natural oils in the leather.
• To avoid fungus, just use the leather everyday. If you are storing it, do not store in a plastic bag. Keep it preferably in a place that is well aired. Clean it with a soft cloth once in a while.
• If your leather does get fungus, take care of the problem as soon as you detect it. Put a tablespoon of Dettol in half a litre of tepid water. Wet a cloth with this liquid and rub the fungus-affected leather with it. If you are facing a fungus problem with your bag, clean the lining inside the bag as well. Let it dry naturally and rub it with high-quality natural oil cream (available at leather product stores).

Carpets and rugs

"If it is possible, roll up the carpets and put them away for the duration of the monsoon," says Kejriwal.

If your durries are made of cotton, roll them up neatly and store them away. If they are made of more expensive material like silk, add some silicon bags while rolling them up. 

If putting rugs away is not an option, make sure you take extra care of them. Remember, wet feet will spoil them. So, be particular about ensuring that they don't come in contact with your carpets and rugs. On sunny days, air your rugs in the sun. This helps battle the moisture that may have accumulated despite your best efforts.

Practical tips

Kejriwal suggests some practical tips in combating the moisture and humidity.

• Keep your home as dry as possible. One way to do this is to use a dehumidifier or air conditioner. If you don't have either of those, take advantage of the sunny days during the monsoon -- open the windows, let the sunlight in and air the room to get rid of moisture. Make sure there is enough cross-ventilation in all the rooms of your house.
  
• Be extra careful with electrical gadgets. Put silicon pouches (easily available at shops which store electric supplies) and keep them near your gadgets to prevent them from getting moist and to reduce the danger of electrocution. Check all electrical wiring in the house. Make sure that if something needs to be fixed, it is done at the earliest.  
  
• Any renovation work to your home should be postponed till the monsoon is over.  
  
• Do not let water accumulate in your surroundings. This leads to breeding of insects. If there are any pots or vessels filled with water, make sure they are covered and kept clean.
  
• Finally, Kejriwal stresses that extra cleaning of your home is required during the monsoon. She says, "The moisture sits on everything. So use a dry cloth to wipe your furniture regularly." Floors need extra cleaning too. Make sure they are cleaned each day with water (add phenyl or an anti-bacterial liquid if you like). This will ensure that dirt and moisture from outside does not accumulate.

With correct storage and timely cleaning you can forget about the dampness inside and focus on enjoying the beauty of the rains.

Do you have monsoon tips you would like to share with other readers? Write in.