Monday 26 October 2015

Sewing in the summerhouse

Hello. The days are whizzing by, it will be Spring before we know it. Today was like a summers day in the summerhouse. It was lovely to sit and stitch. Heidi joined me, and so did Rocky too. It's warmer in here than it is in the house. 
I am making some even smaller flags for a new bunting, started it this morning at the crafty club. Numbers were a bit thin on the ground, only five of us turned up. Still, it was nice to have some decent conversations without everyone talking at once. The less people there are means I can join in because I can hear what's being said.



After the sun went down over the houses, I went to the library. My friend Irene turned up, she handed a book to Stan which she didn't want. I didn't know that our library accepts donations of books. Apparently they will take books in any condition, and the ones they can't put on the library shelves are sold to a salvage company which will recycle the paper. I suppose with the cutbacks they have to make money in whichever way they can. Mind you, I do see places where they have wasted money as well, doing jobs which didn't seem necessary.

Annie asked a question on Wednesday.

I have tried to keep my heating off for as long as I can but have had to give in as we do not have an airing cupboard. My mother drummed it into us that all our clothes should be aired properly and not be put on damp. I have often wondered how you manage to keep you home from becoming damp with mildew etc. Looking at my hygrometer we have 70% humidity today. Is this a problem for you?

I don't have a problem with damp even though I am very frugal with my heating. I have the gas fire on at the moment, I give it half an hour in the living room I am sitting in, then turn it off. I won't put the central heating on until it is freezing, and even then it will be just for an hour. I don't have any mildew or mouldy walls. My house is brick built, about 60 years old, with a cavity wall, which is insulated. There is loft insulation. Occasionally when it is freezing I get condensation on the windows which I wipe off. 

All my internal doors are open, I don't close any of them, I like a flow of air through the whole house. There are ventilation bricks in some of the rooms, I have the back door open, and sometimes open a window in the kitchen or bathroom. this goes against what is generally advised, but it works for me. I don't know if damp is down to what the house is constructed of. 

My clothes hang in a wardrobe, Tshirts and sweatshirts are in a cupboard, and pants and socks are in drawers. They are not damp when I get them out and put them on. I have an airing cupboard which has bedding and towels in it, but the water is only heated when I have a bath. I personally think it is not important to air clothes before putting them on. as long as they are fully dry when you put them away. Mind you, if you do have a very damp house you might need to warm them first. 

I have no idea what the humidity is in my house, or what it should be, I don't have a hydrometer. That's as much as I can tell you. We never did the airing clothes thing when we were young. We didn't have central heating in the council house, and we couldn't afford to heat a tank of water so we didn't have many baths. The house I live in now is ex Council and very similar to that one. Our second house didn't have any hot water at all, no tank, and when we had a bath it was get the tin bath out and heat the water in pans on the gas stove. That was a very old terraced house and was prone to damp, mainly due to the steam in the kitchen. Thank goodness those days are long gone. 

Hope that has been of some use to you. You didn't say if your house was prone to damp, I'm assuming it is, that's why you put your heating on. Or do you put it on just to air your clothes? I don't know. Thanks for the question, I hope you get it sorted. 

Nearly bed time. Thanks for popping in. 
Toodle pip 

13 comments:

  1. Hi.It seems outside is warmer than inside here too.You all look very cozy and content in the summerhouse today.Great comments discussing the pensioners posting you made yesterday.I read recently that Canadian seniors on average carry more debt than they ever did in statistical history and are taking on new debt AFTER retirement according to this article.It's a different mind set entirely from generations past and can only lead to difficulty for many of them.We put the heat on around this time of year and supplement bitter winter temperatures and cold,wet,damp days with the fireplace.Wood is expensive to burn,but we can afford it.Also paying for extra hydro to run the dehumidifier is worth it to us to prevent mold and mildew in the basement/house that is over 160 years old.We decide it was better for us to do that to prevent future problems etc.We too put laundered dried clothes and linens in closets to hang , folded in dressers, linen closets etc.Not sure what this airing custom is about, but our things remain dry even when the heat is not on.Also have "fogged" the basement,ductwork,crawlspace with a thymol natural antibacterial/anti fungicide/anti viral agent (from a friend in an environmentally friendly cleaning business)that keeps the house healthy and smells great.Will do the attic too next time.I've been thinking about you( and your black spot).Could just be a wart, kiddo, but if it is persistent after treatment again, maybe it's a good idea to see a dermatologist.Best wishes,bye for now,D.

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    1. The doctor said it is a wart, kiddo, so I'm not worrying. It's just unsightly, and apparently warts can be a bit stubborn when it comes to zapping them.

      Airing clothes before wearing them is something our grannies did, and has been passed down. I doubt very much if the younger generation has heard of it in their centrally heated modern homes. You either put them in an airing cupboard with the hot water tank, or hung them on a wooden clothes drier around an open or gas fire, or you hoisted them up to the ceiling on one of those wooden affairs which had a pulley, usually found in the kitchen.

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    2. Hi.Aha!Just a wart....good to know that ...now all's well.Thank you for the explaining the airing clothes custom.We have so many clothes,linens and blankets etc. than the average person in the past.Of course,the luxury of central heating and modern conveniences changes things,makes sense.:-)

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  2. Hi Ilona. I think your house is probably damp free as you allow plenty of fresh air in by keeping windows open and allowing air to circulate internally by keeping the doors open. A lot of people seem to seal themselves in with double glazing and insulation these days and forget that a house needs a bit of fresh air! Take care. Ed

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  3. So good y'all are enjoying the summer house!

    I sometimes have damp here, I use a dehumidifier when needed.
    We get cold here, but i honestly hate to turn on the heat.
    I double up on clothing layers.
    I only put my clothes away if they are very dry.
    I use a wooden clothes horse, and hangers rods, and only run my dryer when absolutely necessary.

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    1. Thank you for that annie, it clarifies a few things. Another point I should have mentioned in my post is that different people have different tolerances to cold. I did a physical outdoor job for many years, I don't feel the cold as much as someone who had a heated office job.

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  4. I wonder if Annie is actually drying her clothes inside rather than putting them outside on a washing line? That would make the house very damp and give off a lot of condensation. I used to live in a house that was very condensation-y, it was a new build too so should have been better. I put it down to lack of airbricks in the walls and double glazing. I always dried my washing outside if I could, but it was so bad that we had to get a dehumidifier. The house I am in now is not damp at all and I don't get condensation, only on the windows occasionally. There's no cavity walls to insulate either, but it's very dry thankfully. I put it down to having an open fireplace generally being not so sealed up as modern houses are these days. I can even hang up damp washing after it's come off the line and it dries in no time at all and not a trace of any condensation from it, I feel very lucky!

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    1. I think a few draughts in a house is fine, they need to breath. People talk about draught excluders and sticking cellophane over the windows, but all that does is create a wider temperature difference between inside and outside. The answer is to wrap your body up and move about, not sit huddled up in a sealed box.

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  5. How lovely to be able to sit in the summer house and do your crafting. Heidi looks very comfortable in there. I'm looking forward to Saturday as I'm collecting my new cat who looks very similar to Heidi. X

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    1. A new kitty, how exciting. Will you put some pictures on your blog? I want to see it.

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  6. What a brilliant idea about using the summer house to sew! I bet you will get some winter sun in there too. Could you dry washing in there on a clothes airer? I love to see Rocky, he is very photogenic! Debbie.

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  7. How lovely, sewing in the summerhouse- it's your version of a Four Season Room or a Conservatory and you created it all by yourself out of throw away items! Jan F

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  8. Hi, I have only just seen your response to my Airing clothes issue. I live in a small post war bungalow that even though it has vents all around and feels draughty still gets mould from condensation on walls. I am constantly having to open windows and keep it aired. I do not dry washing inside. I came from a home that had no central heating only a gas fire (coal fire for many years) but I do remember a big water tank in the bathroom off the kitchen that kept clothes aired. As I do try to keep my heating off as long as possible if I take clothes out of drawers etc they do feel cold. I think my mum thought that putting on damp clothes contributed to arthritis. I think the answer is that you live in a house which has more room for air to circulate as I did not have problem when living in a house. I am not, by the way, the annie who left an answer further up. I think I need to change my name.
    Thanks again for your response it if lovely to hear how other people manage things

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