Home Care Tips During Rainy Season

1. Fit cracks around windows and doors with metal cleats or "M-seal" to prevent water from seeping inside. Check for any replacements.

2. A sudden storm can cause trees in the backyard to fall. Do a survey of your compound and remove any dead tree branches, which could fall during heavy rain and cause damage.

3. Remove leaves, branches and debris that can chock up the drains. Keep the terrace clean to prevent water logging.

4. Plug sewer traps with check valves - special valves that direct water in one direction only - thereby preventing it from backing up into your home. You can purchase these at a hardware store, or improvise by using large corks or stoppers to plug your sinks and tubs in an emergency.

5. Turn off automated sprinkler systems when rain is expected.

6. Stock up on sand and sandbags to fill in low areas around your home. See if your local fire stations provides sandbags during the rainy season.

7. Have a torch, batteries and a first-aid kit on hand, in case you get stranded in your home.

8. Keep important documents - including insurance policies, birth certificates and passports - in an easily accessible waterproof box.

9. Protect basement walls by sealing them with a cement or concrete sealer.

10. Know how to turn your electricity off in the event your house gets flooded. Make sure not to turn it back on until everything has dried out.

11. Get your roofs waterproofed at least a month before you expect the rains to start. This will ensure that the waterproofing has a good effect and has settled in before the rains commence.

12. To avoid mosquitoes and flies infesting your home, make sure to spray bug repellants well before sunset. Get pest control done in your home before the onset of the monsoon.

13. Ensure that telephone instrument, other utilities and accessories as well as electronic items are not exposed to rain water. Cover these with plastic sheets so that moisture does not sip in.

14. Avoid using electrical appliances while standing on wet carpets or floors. Stay out of flooded rooms if the electricity is still on.

15. Asthmatics need to take precautions to stay away from accumulated water and seepage, especially in the basement walls. They should also ensure that a fungus does not grow in the wooden furniture and in other articles like shoes and leather bags. Water coolers, money-plant vessels and open drinks should be cleaned and covered during the monsoon season.

16. Accumulated water acts as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Inhibit mosquito breeding in such stagnant water pools. Put a few drops of Kerosene or phenyl in stagnant water to check the undesired mosquito breeding. Mosquito nets should be used wherever possible.