It’s humid here. Not like VA Beach humid – no ocean breeze. Not like Memphis humid – doesn’t have the heat. Definitely not Chicago humid – I laugh at Chicago humidity. It’s like being trapped inside someone’s mouth and each time they breathe you get a warm moist blast of air. That’s how the breeze feels here. Like hot breath. Not at all refreshing. Over the past few weeks, rarely has it been above 90 degrees or drop below 75 degrees or drop below 80% humidity. All conditions perfect for excessive humidity. Mugginess makes me a Sweaty-a-saurus Rex. A picture perfect explanation. The reason the high humidity is so bad is because it leads to mold. The Japanese LOATHE mold because it is messy and affects the wa of living closely. We have been told by more than five people to bring/get dehumidifiers. In fact, we heard this before we even left Chicago. As a precaution, we order two 50L dehumidifiers and had them packed out in our HHG. As we have already discussed, our HHG have not arrived. No worries, since the Japanese despise the meager opportunity that mold will have a chance to spore, housing provides two dehumidifiers per housing unit. Though they are not large, they work well. They just require a little TLC to empty on a 2-3 hour basis.
Let me back track a minute. As a novice to this level of humidity, I thought the answer was to lower the air conditioner. That only makes things worse. Duh! Every Science teacher knows when you drop the temperature it causes the moisture in the air to turn to condensation. Despite the scientific truth, condensation is not cool. When this happens in the house, it makes everything feel damp.
No, my camera isn’t blurry making the controls difficult to read. They are in Japanese!!
This is why the dehumidifiers become so essential. Dehumidifiers draw the moisture out of the air allowing the temperature to drop and prevent condensation from forming.
My biggest fail was yesterday afternoon. I did a load of laundry, remember the laundry room is in the kitchen and I turned off the kitchen AC trying to make the house less cool. Epic fail. The washer & dryer put more moisture back into the air and the house was steamy downstairs. Realizing my error, when I did laundry today, I moved the dehumidifier into the kitchen. It simultaneously kept the moisture in check and helped dry Dave’s shirts. Notice the tension rod for drying clothes. My brilliant husband had that amazing idea.
On a lighter (less condensing) note, here is one way to have fun incorporating your dehumidifier into your house. Pretend it’s a campfire (it emits hot air) and place your camp chairs around it. Please also notice my new lamp. The fluorescent kitchen lights are so intense. I bought a new lamp because I’m blinded every time the overheads turn on. Too, much!!
With that soggy note… I’m out. Stay cool, friends!