Housekeeping: Save your stuff

Good wood
Wood is very sensitive to humidity. To keep your cupboards or drawers moisture-free, place camphor balls as they help absorb moisture and protect your clothes. The main mantra is to protect your clothes, curtains and carpets from moisture. Always remove stains with good cleaning material. Try not to keep damp clothes in the cupboard. Air your clothes periodically to keep them fresh and free of moisture.

Bug free
Insects and termites can be a real nuisance. You can use camphor balls, cloves or neem leaves to get rid of them. Nowadays, most companies manufacture anti-fungal and termite-proof furniture. The particle board is made insect-proof, which is a big relief. Re-tighten the screws of your furniture if necessary. If you are leaving home for a few weeks, cover the furniture with plastic sheets to keep it moisture-free.
Sachin Samartha, from Durian Furniture, said, “Cleaning furniture is very important. You can use glycerine or kerosene to protect it from humidity and temperature fluctuations. While packing products, we use thermocol or bubble paper. Wood has a tendency to contract moisture so we also use polythene sheets to wrap it. If your chair or table has a lot of stains or gets spoiled due to the monsoon, give it to your nearest furniture shop for replacing.”

Heat and light
Use table mats or holders to protect your table top against hot, damp and coloured objects. Never let heat directly fall on the wooden surface. Also protect it from sunlight. Keep silica gel inside your cupboard to combat the moisture. Make sure that you clean your shoe cupboard periodically. Shoes have the tendency to absorb a lot of moisture and wearing wet ones can cause fungal infections. Install a low voltage bulb inside the shoe cupboard so that the heat emitted from it will absorb moisture. If you are wiping wooden surfaces, make sure you always use a dry cloth. Check for seepage through the walls of your house. If you notice even a slight leakage, call the maintenance people to fix it.

Rugs and drapes
As far as possible, don’t use carpets during the monsoon. Roll and store them away. But if you really feel the need to use them, make sure that they are kept dry. Wipe your feet before you walk on the carpet. Curtains should be rolled and pinned during the monsoon to let sunlight in. Clean the curtains from time to time because a lot of dust particles might settle on them. On a sunny day, when there is no rain, dry your rugs, carpets and curtains in the open to make them moisture-free.

Leather friendly
Lavina Vaz, a retail manager of Hidesign, says, “Keep your leather belongings dry. Sunlight is good but overexposure to sunlight or heat might cause fading. As far as possible, see to it that your leather bags or wallets don’t get wet in the rain. If you want to use them frequently, make sure you use good quality leather. Clean your leather items at least once in fifteen days. Wipe them with a soft, dry cloth. You can also use a moisturiser to clean them. Dip a piece of cotton in the solution and wipe them all over. If you don’t have moisturiser, you can even use Dettol and water for cleaning. This will prevent fungus from developing. Clean the inner lining of bags thoroughly and let them dry properly.” Do not store leather items in plastic bags.

Gadget safe
Protect your mobile phone, iPod, calculator, camera, music system and computer from the rain. These gadgets have printed circuit boards (PCBs) on them which have copper tracks. If water enters the PCBs, they go into the locked mode and do not respond to users’ commands properly. Gadgets are more likely to get affected when they are ‘on’ rather than ‘off’. Use plastic covers to protect mobile phones, cameras and iPods. In case of music system/speakers or computers, use large plastic sheets to keep them covered after operation. Never operate switches with wet hands to avoid electric shocks. Switch off and unplug all your electronic devices after use; especially if there is thunder and lightning. You can also use dehumidifiers if required. To prevent electrocution, check all the wiring in the house.