I was showing some work to one of my bosses when one of those sudden, torrential rainstorms that were a daily occurrence a couple of weeks ago started. I guess he saw me glance out the window and grimace.
“When it rains, you can always tell who has a leaky basement.”
Bastard*.
Our basement leaks. It’s true. But only a little. It’s also damp enough that we have two dehumidifiers running. If I hadn’t forbidden myself from passive-aggressive complaining disguised as an idea, I’d be writing about a dehumidifier with a water bucket bigger than a Starbuck’s grande cup that doesn’t spill water absolutely fucking everywhere when you finally manage to pry it out of the complicated slot it sits in in the machine two hours after you turned it on because it’s already full. But I certainly can’t do that.
But I can suggest a non-electric solution to damp basements: furniture specifically designed for basements, loaded to the gills with silica gel. That doesn’t necessarily mean a beanbag chair full of loose pellets, although that would be kind of awesome. It could be a table with hollow legs filled with the stuff. Or a chesterfield with sachets hanging from the springs inside. With every additional piece you pile into your rec room, a little more moisture gets sucked out of the air.
It might do nothing for a truly damp basement. Or even a mildly damp basement, for that matter. I don’t really care, to be honest. I’ve got almost no furniture in my basement anyway. My concern, as always, is only how much more you could charge to call something “Damp Basement Approved!” and how much of a cut I’m getting.
*For the record, my boss, who reads the stuff I write here, is actually very nice, very handsome and kind person.
Ideas Free to a Good Home is a clearinghouse of ideas we’re too lazy to develop ourselves.
