Damp Rid

When you move to a different country, you come across certain things you never knew existed. For example, it’s damp here all the time. Not humid really – just damp – like everything has condensation on it all the time (it’s also continually dusty in our house but that’s a story for another day)! I find myself alternating between the heater and the air conditioner some days because I need something running to take the humidity out of the air. In truth, it’s 70 degrees out and neither of them should be running.

 Based on the advice of those who have come before us, you really do need to do something to help keep the moisture out of your house. I’ve been told that closets are of particular concern. Unless, of course, you think mold spots are going to be in fashion this year.

The Base Exchange (called the BX – kind of like K-mart but with a disproportionate quantity of high-end electronics and not nearly enough normal things like calendars and make-up, but, again, I digress) has an entire section devoted to products that are supposed to remove the humidity from your home.

They have dehumidifiers, but they are a pain and don’t fit into closets particularly well.  They also have a line of products called “Damp-Rid”. These products are based on the concept of moisture-absorbing granules placed into various closet-friendly containers (see pictures). These, it seems, are the system of choice, as the shelf that houses them in the BX is constantly empty. After several weeks of stalking their location in the BX, I finally grabbed what looked like a lifetime supply to install in every nook and cranny of our house. I hung them on closet rods, set them on shelves, and let them do their thing.

Wouldn’t you know, after about a month, they were completely used up and in need of replacement? Now, my lifetime supply looks like it’s only going to last a couple months at most. Considering it may take that long to find them at the BX again, I am going to have to become a hoarder of Damp-Rid. I’m not sure how I feel about this… Until next time!