At the end of May, the sun starts playing hide and seek with clouds. When I was a kid, I always wondered, at the place I was standing with my bicycle on the road, there was sunlight, and at a few meters distance, where my eyes could see, there was the shadow. It always amazed me. And I used to start chasing the shadow with my bicycle. The fun part was, sometimes I could reach the shadow, but other times shadow used to move ahead, leaving behind the sunlight. These hides and seeks of the sun with the clouds keep on till mid-June when Monsoon season brings its first rain with all the pitter-patters and pleasant earthy scent.
Monsoon season brings beauty to nature greenery spreads all around. It gives rid of prolonging scorching summer heat. But the monsoon also brings humidity with all the fairyland beauty, which is a favorable condition for various allergens and microbes to grow at every damp place.
But to enjoy monsoon falls at the fullest, a little preparation can escape you from these microbes to put a damper on your monsoon plans.
So let us see what pre-monsoon preparation you should do to save this beautiful season from becoming a nightmare-
1. Dusting Of Walls
During summer, the scorching heat dries up the dust particles. They become light, and hence they can get scattered into the air and land over the surfaces with ease. We clean our homes daily, but most of the time, walls remain untouched part of our cleaning. The dry dust particles find their way on walls and make layers on them. And when the monsoon comes, these dust particles get sticky on the walls due to moisture. In this way, they give favorable conditions to microbes to grow on them. That’s why we see damp black walls or roofs in our houses during the monsoon. This dampness causes allergies and respiratory disorders. So before the monsoon prevails, dust the walls and ceilings to greet yourself happy rains.
2. Wash Linen & Bed Sheets
During monsoons, there is very little sunlight. Even we can not have faith on days with sunlight, during monsoon. Because you never know what may be the scenario next hour. It may rain heavily in the next hour. Sunlight and rainfalls are unpredictable during monsoons. So better to wash all the used linen and bedsheets before the monsoon prevails. So they do not spread a musty smell in the house.
3. Cleaning Of Ac, Coolers, And Fans
AC, coolers, and fans are the lifesavers during summers. But they equally get dust layer on them. So to avoid dampness in them and for their long life, clean the fans. Drain all water from coolers, dry them out before packing. So you can use them conveniently next year, without the need of servicing them. And also, do not forget to call for servicing the AC.
4. Cleaning of Wardrobe
Before monsoon prevails, be sure that you clean your wardrobe. Sort out all the heavy and fancy clothes which you might have worn during summer weddings and might have dumped them into your wardrobe. The unused heavy clothe also need to put them in sunlight for a while. It will make them crisp before packing in bags. But beware that delicate materials like chiffon should not come into direct sunlight. You can keep them in shadow where the warmth of the sun comes. So they will be away from fungus and foul smells during monsoons.
If you have used heavy and fancy clothes in your wardrobe, first of all, give them for dry cleaning. Then, keep them wrapped in newspaper or plastic bags.
5. Use Of Silica Gels
During monsoon, everything gets damp. Silica gel pouches help absorb moisture. That’s why they play a vital role in keeping things dry during the monsoon.
Put silica gel pouches in toolboxes to avoid rust. You can put them in books and between documents to escape the musty smell and preventing the pages of books and the documents from getting sticky due to moisture.
But keep the silica gel pouches out of reach of children.
6. Sunbath Spices, Cereals, and Grains And Airtight Them
During the monsoon, spices, cereals, and grains become soggy due to moisture. There are fair chances of getting insects or bugs in them. So before the monsoon arrives at its peak, expose all the cereals, grains, and spices into the sunlight. So that all the moisture gets dried and then preserve in an airtight container.
7. Packing Of Leather Assets and Take Out Waterproof Footwear
Monsoon is the time to preserve all the leather accessories, as the moisture in the air or direct contact with rains will damage them. So keep all the leather jackets, wallets, purses, bags, shoes, and belts in a safer place. Take out your water-resistant footwear, or buy some new ones.
8. Take Out Umbrellas And Raincoats
Did it ever happen to you that you are stepping out of home and suddenly you hear the pitter-patter of rains? Then you rush to take out the umbrella or raincoat, but you do not find it at the place, and now you are unable to recall where you last kept them. Yes, it happened to me. So I learned to take out my umbrella and raincoat as the monsoon starts. Because it makes things easy while stepping out during monsoon, it saves my time and energy.
9. Cleaning Of Clothing Bags
Cloth bags with thick material are hard to dry. So before rains, wash the cloth bags and dry them out for easy use during the monsoon.
10. Take Out Waterproof Bags And Cover
If you are using cloth bags for groceries or other needs during the monsoon, you can buy waterproof covers for your bags. These waterproof bag covers are available online or in local markets. You can also shop for waterproof bags for multipurpose use during monsoons.
11. Take Out Synthetic Clothes To Wear
During rains, we hardly get sunny days. So drying of clothes becomes difficult. Also, if clothes are not dried properly, they give a musty smell. It is better to wear clothes which are easy to dry. That is why synthetic clothes are the wise choice to wear during the monsoon. They get quickly washed as all the stains come out easily from them. And also, they get quickly dried up.
12. Waterproofing Of Terrace
If your terrace has leakages, make sure you waterproof them before the monsoon. Because leakages will not only cause inconvenience to you, but it will create stinking dampness within the house.
13. Servicing Of Vehicle
Most of us might have faced the problem of broken vehicles in mid of rain on a waterlogged road. So to avoid this inconvenience, before the monsoon prevails, be cautious about servicing your vehicle.
14. Take Out Indoor Cloth Dryer Stands
When it rains heavily and continuously for days during monsoon season, we tie a string within the room for drying the clothes. This string creates obstacles while moving within the house. So it is better to opt for cloth drying stands, which you can keep at any corner of the house. These cloth drying stands do not take much space, and you can fold them and keep them aside when they are not in use.
15. Taking Out Emergency Lamps, Torches, Or Candles
Getting blackout now and then is one of the common problems during monsoon. So it is time to take out your candles, torches, and emergency lamps and make them ready and keep them at the place from where anyone can easily access them when the power is off.
16. Charging Powerbanks
We have already discussed the power cut problem during monsoon, so keep your power banks fully charged. Because you never know when your mobile battery gets drained off when you urgently need the mobile when power is off. So to avoid any inconvenience, charge your power banks and keep them at an easily accessible place.
17. Water-Resistant Curtains For Balconies
If you have a balcony at home, then you may prepare to hang a water-resistant curtain for it. It will keep from direct rains to come within the home. And thus will save your home from fungus and molds, which are prominent during the monsoon.
18. Shop Ziplock Bags For Mobiles And Laptops
During monsoon, keep your mobile phones and laptops extra protected by using ziplock bags for mobiles and waterproof bags for laptops. They will help mobiles and laptops from getting soaked during heavy rains.
19. Trimming Of Plants & Trees
Monsoon is the favorable season for plants and trees to grow. Their stems grow fast and spread wide all around. It may cause them to reach the electric poles and cause serious hazards. So before monsoon prevails, trim all plants and trees at the house.
20. Collect Dried Woods
During summers, trees shed their dried stems. You can use these dried stems for outdoor cooking or for enjoying little fire camps in backyards during winters. So before the monsoon comes, collect all dried woods from the garden, make their bunch, and save for later use.
So these are my checklist points to consider for welcoming happy monsoon rains. I hope this checklist will be helpful for you too. Let me know through your valuable comments.
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