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As I sit here tonight preparing the spare room to be my new crafty area, something has occured to me and I hope my efforts have not been all for nothing!! We use a swamp cooler in the summer and it just happens to be in the window of this room! We also use this room as an office and as I am going through papers and such, I am noticing they are kind of damp. :( Not WET or dripping or anything, just not completely dry. Does anyone else use a swamp cooler? What about those who live in areas with high humidity? I don't necessarily MIND this "damp" feeling but I am worried that it will ruin my crafty things. Is there a remedy? Is it BAD for paper and stamps? Will tape hold my stuff together if this dampness is in the paper? :confused: I don't know why this never dawned on me until now but I am quite worried that all of this planning is now about to go down the drain. Please tell me something to ease my mind!!! Thanks!!
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
We have a swamp cooler and notice that my paper is just a bit 'soft' from the humidity in the air. But then, we also have random storms coming through, more than normal. Doors and other things are sticking more than usual this summer. Other years it was drier.
I live in an area with high humidity and we use dehumidifiers to keep the moisture out. I guess that would defeat the purpose of a swamp cooler though.
I do have a container of damp rid I keep in my stamp room in the basement. I just got it so I can't really say how good it works though.
I do have a container of damp rid I keep in my stamp room in the basement. I just got it so I can't really say how good it works though.
I had thought about something like that. Maybe keep the paper in a filing cabinet and then put a thing of damp rid in the bottom drawer? I don't know if it would work if I just put it on the table in the corner. DH went to so much trouble installing it and it's huge so I hate to ask him to move it to another part of the house ;)
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
I had thought about something like that. Maybe keep the paper in a filing cabinet and then put a thing of damp rid in the bottom drawer? I don't know if it would work if I just put it on the table in the corner. DH went to so much trouble installing it and it's huge so I hate to ask him to move it to another part of the house ;)
Maybe some enclosed plastic totes with dessicant packs inside?
Don't have personal experience with swamp coolers as a matter of fact I didn't even know what they were and had to look it up! Here's some thoughts from wikipedia which might factor into your decision-making:
Evaporative cooling also raises the internal humidity level significantly, which can cause problems such as lumpy table salt; swelling and warping of wood paneling, doors and trim; pianos going out of tune or suffering internal rusting, etc.
Under disadvantages: High humidity in air accelerates corrosion, particularly in the presence of dust. This can considerably shorten the life of electronic and other equipment.
High humidity in air may cause condensation of water. This can be a problem for some situations (e.g., electrical equipment, computers, paper, books, old wood).
Thanks mamaxsix, I have not ever heard that they can be bad for things like that. I wonder if that is if they are like the huge industrial ones. The humidity in the house is not even bad enough to clump up the salt...but then again, it's not in the kitchen. So, probably location is the key. It will go off in a month or so, so I guess I have awhile to figure things out. I am only pushing the re-decoration because I have a HUGE Christmas project I am about to embark on and I will need lots of space. I will need to get started here in the next 2-3 weeks. Maybe the outside temperature will go down some by then
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
Lots of Coloradans have swamp coolers, and I have lived with them off and on. They only work in VERY dry climates, so those of you who live in humid areas have no reason to know what one is.
They do make things a bit damp, it's true. However, they feel great on parched Colorado skin, which is ALWAYS thirsty. I've never had one cause any kind of actual damage, though.
I like air conditioning better, but the house we are moving into next week has a swamp cooler. I'll be right there with you, Mel! Ours is in the ceiling, though, I wonder if that makes a difference?
The things you learn!!! I live in the south, the thought of ADDING humity to the air is laughable!!!! But I can imagine in dry areas it would be great.
I have no advice since obviously, I am not familiar with it....but I really hope it doesn't ruin anything for you!!!!
Ours is in the ceiling, though, I wonder if that makes a difference?
That won't be as bad because most of the moisture will be in the hallway underneath wher it sits I think. We were tossing around ideas last night and thought of salt. We had accidentally left a bag of snow melt in the room and when winter came, the bag was rock hard from the moisture. Maybe throwing a bowl of that in the room will make a difference. Today is the day we install the table top so I guess we are going to find out!!
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
I just talked to my husband about ours in the new house, and the cooler doesn't even go into the house. It's in the rook and then is vented throughout the house. I've never lived with one like this, it might be a little more like central air.
In this house, because my studio is in the basement, I bought a little dehumidifier device. It's full of granules, and when they turn a certain color, you plug it in until they go to the original color. It seemed to work, but what really helped was fixing our rain gutters so the rain went away from the house. Those of you who are from the south are probably wondering why I had moisture problems in such a dry climate. Well, when we do get rain, it is rarely a soft civilized sprinkle, it's an all out hard rain, gigantic drops, gully washer.
I didn't have much problem with it as far as crafting was concerned. Maybe stop in or call one of the scrapbook stores that are still in business & see what they say. I know not all of the businesses there use air conditioning. A lot of them use swamp coolers.
Keeping paper dry when you have a swamp cooler
