In a thread about moldy-smelling yarn, cat litter as a moisture absorbent was suggested. Does anyone have any idea of how it could be used as an inexpensive dehumidifier? Seattle is not known for it’s arid weather and I sometimes feel like soaking up some of the humidity in my apt. might be a good idea. It’s not damp enough that I have mold problems, just enough to make it feel colder in here, if were less humid I wouldn’t want to turn the heat up to dry things out.
I’ve always had cats and never noticed the litter absorbed moisture unless it was provided by a cat. I think it has to be a lot of liquid.
I’d suggest a small dehumidifier. I didn’t know you lived in Seattle. My daughter lived there in Auburn. The kids just sold the house and moved to Wisconsin. That’s my daughter with my new granddaughter that I’ve been spoiling. Small world. Hey, you’re always welcome here in Wisconsin. A bit colder, though. My SIL is still adjusting. Felt sorry for them. Adjusting to the time zone change, then we switched to Standard time besides.
I think my idea was not so great. I need to see about a dehumidifier. I’ve lived in Auburn, actually. Wisconsin sounds lovely but it’s 30 deg. out this a.m. and that’s cold enough for me. If I ever make it out your way, I’ll let you know!
I live in southern CA and it got down to 41 the other morning…brrr! Its cloudy and cool right now, but the cloud cover has kept the temp higher. do have the heat on a bit though.
I was born and raised here so my friend in Ottawa, Canada invited my DH and I to experience a real winter one year in February. We bought some stuff, but I borrowed a coat. Boy was it cold!!
I’ve read about dehydrating cut flowers in cat litter. Of course, you have to completely envelope the flowers in cat litter, so perhaps it’s just a matter of getting [U][B]enough[/B][/U] litter into your apartment.
Perhaps you could contact a construction company and have them bring you a whole dump truck load of cat litter which you could then shovel into the appropriate rooms.
If you do try this, we’d love to see pictures–and of course, do write up an ongoing report about it, too. You know, give us the play-by-play of how it’s working and all!
P.S. Better leave the kitchen unlittered, though, otherwise you won’t have enough moisture around to wash dishes! (But, hey, drying them will be a snap!)
Alas, this doesn’t meet the inexpensive criterion. It sounds like a great plan otherwise.
Uh, what do you mean about drying dishes?
:roflhard:
Unless you have a pet then your apt becomes one giant litterbox. :noway:
And dry dishes? Most go in the dishwasher and those that don’t dry themselves just fine and don’t need any intervention from me. :teehee:
What’s this all about, Jan? You mean I’m supposed to do something other than toss things once their used?
Long ago and far away, as I was going out the office door for lunch, I butted in on a conversation about chocolate chip cookies. Someone had just said he liked them warm? Smart a** that I am, I aked, how do you get them warm? He said something about just out of the oven. I said, You’re supposed to bake them? The look on his face was priceless, I think he thought for a moment that I was serious. Of course another time I told someone after I’d been asked who knows how many times, no I didn’t get my hair cut, I washed it and it shrank. I love the look on people’s faces when they are caught unaware like that.
If it weren’t for a warped sense of humor, I’d have none at all.
:roflhard: :roflhard:
Then Grumpy Grandma will be the crazy cat lady with 100 cats. Better get busy crocheting them all sweaters. lol
:roflhard: I knew I was twisted. Now I think I have some very good company!
If I could afford it, I would get a Maine coon cat, but just one. I’d want the biggest I could find. For that I might need a dump truck to deliver.:woohoo:
GG you could look at a Maine Coon rescue. We are on a list for a Ragdoll Cat rescue. I want a declawed female and they said they get them sometimes.
I’ve thought about it, Jan, but when you live in an apt. you have to come up with a large nonrefundable pet fee, as I recall it’s $500 here.
Whoa. Are all apartment fees that high? My daughter has a cat and I know she didn’t have to pay that much here in SoCal.
That is hilarious! They should have put the sticker somewhere else. :teehee:
That was the least objectionable of the pics included in an email I got. I thought someone else might like it too. Price stickers can change a lot of things.
I don’t know if all apts. have fees that high, but around here they will soak you any way they can. I need to look at my lease more closely, if they called it a deposit anywhere in the lease they have to refund; if they didn’t and it’s always referred to as a fee then they get to keep it all. If I had realized I would still be here 4 yrs. later I might have thought the fee wasn’t so bad. My downstairs neighbor has a ferret and cat so I guess they charged her $1000 as it’s per pet.
Wow! I’ve had animals all my life and know things can be damaged, but other than messed up carpet its usually your own stuff that takes the brunt of it. Maybe carpet replacement or cleaning is high in your area. Would you also have an extra monthly fee?
Some places charge more per month, some don’t. Since I don’t keep critters, I really don’t know what they do here. I think they just found a way to exploit a loophole in the Landlord Tenant Act. My neighbor who went back to California the end of June had to pay $40 for carpet cleaning, half of what the mgr. said it costs them; she’d been here two years and lots of places don’t (maybe legally can’t) charge for carpet cleaning or repainting after three years. The carpets here need to be replaced anyhow.
Interesting. I’ll have to ask my daughter what the deposit has been in her different apartments. I pretty sure that it’s called a deposit and isn’t tied to pet ownership. I think she pays an extra $25 a month as for the cat. That seemed a small price to pay for her much loved kitty. I suppose in the end it all balances out.