After the scorching heat of the summer, we eagerly wait for the monsoon to arrive. The dark clouds, windy weather and the pitter-patter send such a positive vibe. The fresh spells of monsoon rains are not just refreshing, but they also play with our mood. The petrichor, the fresh lush green leaves and the serenity around lift our mood instantly. It feels as though the season has breathed new life into Mother Earth.
The monsoon is awesome and welcoming for the first fortnight, after that it becomes boring, especially for the homemakers because there are a lot of problems and troubles associated with continuous rain, making ‘Monsoon Home Care’ a Herculean task.
In this blog, Gharpedia shares some very useful information about monsoon home care, such as
- Need for Monsoon Home Care
- Monsoon Home Care Tips For Rainy Season Problems
- Electrical Safety Precautions During Rainy Season
- Clean Drains Before It Rains!
- Check If Doors and Windows are Fine
- Take Precautions for the Leakages
- Check Your Terrace Level Difference
- Prepare Umbrellas and Raincoats
- Check Vehicles Cover To Protect Them from Rain
- Get Ready for the Sudden Power Failure
- Arrange In-House Space for Tie and Dry your Clothes
- Dos & Don’ts During Rainy Season
Let’s have a detailed look,
Need for Monsoon Home Care
With the onset of monsoon, there is an unusual odour in the home, garden and wardrobes, which can be a complete turn-off. Different types of insects and pests surface, making life difficult.
Monsoon proves scary when the house is full of filthy odour, mosquitoes, flies, pests, moss, moulds and fungus. In the rainy season, there are air-borne diseases and water-borne diseases, which pose serious health threats. Soon, our positive vibes seem to disappear and the worries prevail as we are left with very little or no choice! However, the monsoon demands us to be cautious and take extra care of our homes so that we can combat many rain-induced problems wisely. After all, only a healthy home can be a happy abode for healthy people!
As a homemaker, your responsibility doubles in monsoons making monsoon home care your priority. You are required to be extra careful because germs breed faster in the rainy season.
Bring a few amendments to your monsoon home care routine to keep your place clean and germ-free.
Monsoon Home Care Tips For Rainy Season Problems
Home is the reflection of our personality, and this reflection must be kept intact through all weathers. Summer, Monsoon, Spring or Winter, the house health should never be compromised. It takes a little extra care and some safety precautions during rainy season and you are good to go. So let’s get started and know how to take care of our home during the rainy season.
01. Electrical Safety Precautions during Rainy Season
We must have in place safety precautions during rainy season, may it be electrical safety precautions during rainy season or fire safety tips during rainy season, all of these are a must. We should make sincere efforts to check all the electrical points, wiring, and plug sockets; see to it whether drains and cracks are all checked, serviced/repaired and electrical boards are in shape. If there are issues, then such issues must be treated on a priority basis, so that in monsoon, we do not get caught up in adversity.
Negligence in maintaining electrical wiring can be fatal, or at least it will force you to live without power in the initial days of monsoon due to some breakdown.
Damaged electrical sockets and wiring should be addressed before the onset of the rains. For more details, refer to our electrical safety tips for monsoon.
It is better to get things inspected properly by the home maintenance technicians. They can rule out the shortcomings and take up repairs accordingly as part of your monsoon precautions.
02. Clean Drains Before It Rains!
- One of the first monsoon precautions to be taken as part of the monsoon Home Care regime is that the drains should be cleaned so that it is not clogged in heavy rains. This is the most important safety precaution during rainy season you need to take before the onset of the monsoon, failing which the garbage flow will be disturbed and the clogging will create a lot of inconvenience/damage to your surroundings.
- Clogged garbage will attract flies and mosquitoes, thus affecting your health. Always check the ‘jaalis’ on the top of the drain pipes. If there is an accumulation of dirt, plastic or dry leaves, clean it. This, if left unattended, will lead to clogging. Check the drains of the rooftop so that the rainwater does not accumulate on the rooftop.
- Take the help of plumbing technicians and get the water outlet pipes connected to the municipal corporation connection. If the manhole collecting the rainwater from your compound or the gutter is chocked due to leaves, dust, papers and plastics, it can be a nightmare, especially when it rains heavily. Sudden downpour during the night can be a cause of concern as the water may enter your house at a time when you do not have instant help available. Hence, it is always good to pay attention to monsoon safety tips and clear the drains and remain safe.
- If you look at the dos and don’ts during rainy season, the most ignored area in the list is the canopy, and the protruded ‘chajjas’ without spouts. Most of the dirt accumulates on them. Clean them thoroughly with a hard metal brush so that no dust or waste remains there blocking the path of water. If it is not cleaned, water will accumulate and seep into the adjoining walls, thereby damaging your paint and walls.
03. Check If Doors and Windows are Fine
Next in the monsoon home care tips is the wood! The wood swells in the rainy season due to moisture-laden air. The swelling makes it difficult to lock the doors and the windows properly. Request close scrutiny by a carpenter and get it repaired. Get the locks, bolts and hooks checked and ensure if a replacement is required. Also, see that all the eyes and hooks of the windows are in working condition. If you have a sliding window, check that they close properly. In a season like such, you will not be able to keep windows open throughout the day. Hence, it becomes imperative to check if the windows and doors can be shut properly.
In case you have faced some swollen doors problem, then go through our below blog that will help you fix your problem.
04. Take Precautions for the Leakages
- Get the cracks treated so that there is no leakage inside the house or in the basement.
- Want a perfect ‘Monsoon Home’, well then, hollow crevices should be covered so that there is no place for the reptiles to coil in and pose threat to the dwellers.
- Correct the roof leakages, if any.
- The most important maintenance check that a prudent house owner must do is to repair the source of leakage, particularly from the terrace or other vulnerable areas like joints between the ‘chajjas’ and wall, joints of aluminum window frames and walls or sills and jambs. All these must be attended by a skilled agency as part of our monsoon precautions.
- If you have a Rain Water Harvesting system recharging your bore well, then make sure that you clean all the filter beds in the system. Also clean the terrace/sloping roof, so that the dust etc., on the terrace will not chock your filter beds. Remember to set your valves in such a way that the rainwater from the terrace, during the first rain is not led to the bore well but is instead led to other storm water drain.
- If there is any slippery flooring or wet area where the moss has grown, treat it in a way that one does not slip over the same. There it is, your perfect ‘Monsoon Home’ taking care of most monsoon safety tips.
05. Check Your Terrace Level Difference
As per Late Mahadev Desai, CMD of Sthapati Designers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd, which is a leading multidisciplinary consultancy firm in India, in most houses or even in apartments, the common detailing mistake that occurs, is the terrace slab and the slab of the staircase cabin i.e. the top step of the staircase is kept at the same level.
“Actually, the last step should be 150 mm or 6” higher than the terrace slab so that when you do waterproofing, the level of the terrace does not go above the stair cabin/step level, Desai had said adding that when this procedure is not followed, the terrace actually comes to a higher level.
“You do some threshold work with stone or make some other arrangement so that the water from the terrace does not enter the house. This is a very serious mistake and if it exists in your house, then you must attend to it and correct it immediately so that you solve the problem not only for this monsoon but for all monsoons to come,” he had suggested.
06. Prepare Umbrellas and Raincoats
Find your umbrellas and raincoats from your storeroom. Check your umbrellas for rain beforehand and if it requires repair or replacement, do it on a priority basis. Show them some sunlight if possible to get rid of the typical odour it carries for being unused for a long time.
Buy branded raincoats for yourself and family members who sneak out in rains regularly. Carry them along with you even if it is not raining. Rains are unpredictable. Get colourful raincoats and umbrellas for school-going kids. Kids love colours as such and they would happily wear and carry them while going to school.
07. Check Vehicles Cover To Protect Them from Rain
Covering your vehicle during monsoon is very essential. Check for the covers for your vehicles in the storeroom. Take them out and show some sunlight to them. If you do not have such covers, buy them. Covers take care of the vehicles stranded in the open during office hours. It is always advisable to cover your vehicles when they are parked. If left uncovered, the moisture in the air rusts the external metallic parts of the vehicle.
08. Get Ready for the Sudden Power Failure
Spare some time for this electrical safety precaution during the rainy season. Get your emergency light or inverter checked. There are more instances of power outages during the monsoon and this equipment will help you out in case of sudden power failure. If it requires replacement or repair, get it done before the pitter-patter.
This may sound too elementary, but it is one of the most important electrical safety precautions during rainy season. Store some candles and matchboxes too. In case of emergency, when you face power cuts and your gadgets do not tend to work, the candle can light up your home. You can go for scented candles; it is available in various designs and fragrances. Opt for the one that fits your budget. Using solar lanterns will remind you of old times and shall make you feel proud of supporting the green movement.
09. Arrange In-House Space for Tie and Dry your Clothes
Another basic guide to a perfect ‘Monsoon Home’ is to buy cloth rails or drying cloth stand and use inner spaces such as the bathroom, head on the washing machine space etc. to tie and dry your clothes. The Sun will be on holiday so you require space inside the home where you can spread out damp and washed clothes. It is a challenging task in case of continuous rain. Ample cloth stands are available in the market; bring one, and analyse your space and utility. Another important safety precaution during the rainy season is to take an exit from an AC room and change your clothes immediately if your clothes are wet. Thus, make every possible arrangement and mechanism handy as well as ready for drying your clothes during monsoon.
Dos and Don’ts During Rainy Season
There are many dos and don’ts during rainy season, which if followed will make a lot of difference in your monsoon home care routine. Let’s have a look at them and gear up for more monsoon precautions.
1. Place a shoe rack at the entrance and ask people to leave their footwear on the stand before entering the house. By doing this, a lot of your time and energy spent on cleaning the floors can be saved. This is one monsoon precaution, which can ensure health within the family.
2. Clean yourself properly before entering the house and ensure the same for all the dwellers too as part of the monsoon safety tips.
3. Get rid of wet clothes as soon as you enter the house and change into dry cotton clothes.
4. A perfect monsoon home care routine includes the use of good quality disinfectants to clean the house, which will keep the house free from mosquitoes, insects and flies.
5. Allow fresh air to enter the home premises. Do not lock the doors and windows all the time. Keep it open so that the fresh air circulates and wards off foul smells from your perfect monsoon home!
6. Do not keep the floor wet. Wipe it with an absorbent mop. Wet floors can be risky. You or anybody can slip and get hurt. Further, wet floors facilitate the moulds, germs and fungus to grow.
7. This is again one of the basic monsoon safety tips. Clean washrooms regularly with strong disinfectants and use the exhaust fan to ward off foul smells and keep the area dry. Wipe the taps and showers dry, they are the best breeding ground for the molds and germs. Clean with baking powder and Vinegar once a week so that the germs and bacteria don’t develop.
8. Clean the clutter and dispose of all the garbage around. Such places are the best spots for mosquitoes and insects to breed.
9. Get the open area cleaned with bleaching powder and lime. It will clear the dampness of the floor, and clean grasses and other growths. Thus, it will be safe to walk on. Clean these places periodically throughout the rainy season.
10. Take extra care of your pet so that the pet and the dwellers are free from any infection. Animals easily catch infections in the rainy season. Keep them clean. Dry your pet’s paws daily after a stroll. Use good pet soap and shampoo to keep them free from ticks and fleas.
11. Last but not the least, in this list of dos and don’ts during rainy season is an important point to remember in your monsoon home care routine- clean your kitchen tops, chimney and table tops with salt and vinegar after preparing the meal to ward off insects and flies. These are the great carriers of germs and diseases in the rainy season, which can fail all your monsoon home care plans.
Summing it up, after following this regular regime, you may not require extra time for cleaning the house every week. It will not only lessen the burden but will also make it a joyful task if all family members willingly coordinate and cooperate to make the cleaning job easy and leave the home squeaky clean. After all, it is everyone’s home!!
Monsoon season can be a joy if the above-mentioned ‘monsoon home care tips’ are religiously followed because of all the rainy season problems and precautions included in it, thereby making our dwelling place the best place!! Clean surroundings give rise to clean and clear thoughts and we are blessed with positive vibes.
Indulge in playful activities with kids at home and let them enjoy the rainy season to the fullest.
Well quoted by ‘Rajuda’, from Goodreads Quotes – “Rain clouds come floating in, not to muddy my days ahead, but to make me calm, happy and hopeful.”
Have a Happy Monsoon!!!!
With these monsoon home care tips, you surely like to read our blog on monsoon home décor tips,
Image Courtesy – Image 11 – flickr
Author Bio
Illa Verma – Ila Verma is a freelancer blogger with a vast experience in content writing, branding, fictional stories and poetry. She has collaborated with various brands as a content creator and is a certified content writer.
Coming from a small town, she has carved a niche of her own. Apart from writing, she is involved with an NGO Bhojan Bank, which provides one-time free meal to homeless people. She enjoys listening to music and is an avid traveller.
Prior to her writing career, she has worked with India Infoline, Kotak Sec. and ShareKhan.
