5 home tips to prevent monsoon damage to your appliances

Monsoon is here earlier than usual — this means every whiff of a vada pav, every late night at Marine Drive or a bike ride with your bestie is about to get a lot sweeter. But romanticising rains is only fun till the weather flips to its unpleasant side for us (i.e. soggy socks, water damage and the constant gloominess).

Four months of monsoon usually means there’s a lot of deterioration in store for us — especially if our gadgets are not prepared well in advance for the potential rain damage. And while we’re often geared up and ready to brave the outdoors, there are certain precautions that are as crucial to make our indoor experience a comfortable one.

If you’re worried about your device’s safety indoors, check out five home tips that will ensure it remains well-protected with the downpour outside.

5 tips to keep your gadgets safe indoors this monsoon

If you think shutting your doors and windows is enough to protect your appliances against rain damage, you’re right. But while you’re at it, consider these five additional tips to seal the deal right. Check them out here:

1. Monsoon-proof your windows and doors

Shutting your doors and windows tight isn’t always enough. Thanks to torrential rains, monsoon-proofing your doors and windows is equally important. Add rubber gaskets on the foot of your doors and around your windows to prevent rainwater from entering during extreme weather conditions. Try to keep appliances as far away as you can from any opening. An easy and inexpensive way to keep water out is by adding weather strips to windows and balcony doors.

2. Check and fix any seepage in your walls

Outwardly, your home may look just fine. But come monsoon, you’re going to find the dreaded seepage showing through your walls. New construction or old, you’re probably dealing with some sort of moisture every time it rains heavily. And, believe it or not, this is considered natural in areas experiencing high rainfall.

ALSO READ: 7 essential laundry tips for the monsoon season

Unfortunately, seepage is notorious for ruining paint, bringing in mould and, you guessed it right, impacting your electronics. Long-term exposure to seepage can cause short circuits, corrosion and electrical component failure in your appliances. Monsoon-proofing your walls and getting them treated before the rains is a good idea to avoid a situation like this. Address any cracks on your walls and call in an expert to examine or fix them before the monsoon sets in.

However, if you’re a tad late, you can always make sure your electronics are far, far away from the seepage on your walls. Keep them at least a couple of inches away, and avoid plugging them into a wall that shows signs of water damage.

3. Bring in dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers are pretty much your best friends who will work tirelessly through the monsoon season. They help reduce humidity in your space and create a more comfortable environment indoors. If you’re wondering how this gadget helps the other gadgets in your house, here’s the deal: excessive moisture is basically kryptonite for electronics. It causes condensation inside devices, leading to rust, short circuits, and that dreaded foggy screen on your phone camera.

Know how your bathroom mirror fogs up after a hot shower? That’s pretty much what’s happening inside your laptop when humidity levels spike. A dehumidifier keeps the air dry enough so your devices can actually breathe. Place one in rooms where you keep expensive electronics like your gaming setup, home theatre, or that fancy coffee machine you splurged on.

4. Get surge protectors

Power cuts and voltage fluctuations are monsoon’s calling cards. One minute you’re binge-watching your favourite series, the next minute the power’s doing a weird dance that could fry your TV’s circuits. Surge protectors act like bouncers at a club and only let the right amount of electricity through and block any unwanted spikes.

ALSO READ: How to stay prepared for power cuts during monsoons

Look for ones with proper joule ratings (at least 1000 joules for basic protection) and make sure they have indicator lights that tell you when they’re actually working. Your gaming console, washing machine, and that expensive air purifier will thank you when the next power surge hits. Pro tip: replace your surge protectors every couple of years for best results.

5. Unplug appliances that are not in use

This might sound like something your mom would say to save on electricity bills, but during the monsoon, it’s actually about saving your appliances altogether. When lightning strikes or power fluctuations happen (which they will), anything plugged in becomes a potential victim.

That microwave you use twice a day? Unplug it when you’re not making your midnight Maggi. The washing machine that only runs on weekends? Keep it disconnected during the week. It’s a simple habit that takes two seconds but could save you thousands in repair costs. Plus, you’ll actually notice your electricity bill going down — turns out mom was right about that, too!

The monsoon doesn’t have to be a nightmare for your gadgets. With these five straightforward steps, you can enjoy those cosy rainy evenings with your devices safely humming along in the background. Because the only thing that should be getting soaked this season is you on that romantic walk in the rain — certainly not your electronics.