What to bring to a tropical climate?

[Logan]

Has anyone here lived, or is living, in a tropical climate who can give some advice on what to take? Especially concerning mould and rust....

We are thinking of buying a home on a tropical island. Its really beautiful there, but I have heard the humidity and salt can wreak havoc on your belongings! Im trying to decide what to do with things like photos and sentimental stuff, and books. And wondering which of our furniture, if any, would stand up to the climate. Im considering just getting rid of almost everything and going totally minimalist, which is where we are heading anyway. But am not sure which stuff will be fine and which will be destroyed. Any advice would be much appreciated!!!

Also we will probably be building a home there so advice on the best housing materials would be awesome too if anyone has advice

[lolar2]

Where will you put the photos, etc if you don't have them with you?

And are you going to live in a modern, climate-controlled house or in an older place without a/c?

[Logan]

Originally Posted by lolar2

Where will you put the photos, etc if you don't have them with you?

Good question... We may leave them where we are renting now as its a friends property which will probably stay vacant once we go. But I would be really hesitant to leave anything of value here as it would be a target for a break-in. Plus I hate the idea of leaving a lot of stuff behind as our whole lives will be there, this will be our forever home. And I like to have all my belongings with me if possible. A lot of our photos are digital, most of it is sentimental papers and stuff which I am keeping. The kind of stuff which is the only thing you would grab in a fire IYKWIM. So stuff I dont want to lose. I have thought of renting a storage unit, but they are about $260 a month for the smallest size here, and I wouldnt want to waste that much money just to store things.

Originally Posted by lolar2

And are you going to live in a modern, climate-controlled house or in an older place without a/c?

Im not sure if it will have aircon. We are choosing between one home, or buying land instead. We have the choice to build it with aircon, but Im undecided if I will. The temperatures are very moderate and I like humid weather Plus ecologically its hard to justify aircon, especially as we plan to build a small eco-friendly home. It certainly wouldnt be on all the time even if we had it. We would probably have fans of some sort if we didnt have aircon. But lots of open windows and fresh air mainly

[lifeguard]

We lived in Costa Rica for almost 2 years. The only things we had difficulty with getting moudly were things shoved to the bottom of closets.

I personally wouldn't hesitate to bring anything I loved & enjoyed.

There are other ways during the wet seasons to help with the moisture, products like damprid. Making sure things are well ventilated. Keeping things clean.

One thing I wouldn't go without is GOOD raingear!

[Logan]

Originally Posted by lifeguard

We lived in Costa Rica for almost 2 years. The only things we had difficulty with getting moudly were things shoved to the bottom of closets.

I personally wouldn't hesitate to bring anything I loved & enjoyed.

There are other ways during the wet seasons to help with the moisture, products like damprid. Making sure things are well ventilated. Keeping things clean.

One thing I wouldn't go without is GOOD raingear!

So you didnt have any problems with book/papers?

I read that steel and iron rust within months on a tropical climate so now Im wondering what people would use in the kitchen? All our pots and utensils and knives are stainless steel I guess we could find some alternatives if needed, but not sure what...

Iv'e read that leather with literally be eaten with mould in weeks. So no leather furniture or shoes, wallets etc.

Guess we just need to work out what will and wont survive. Plastic is suddenly becoming more appealing by the day

Yes, I was just about to give away my gumboots as I rarely wear them, but between the crabs and the monsoon I think I will need them!

[redvlagrl]

Stainless steel won't rust and neither will cast iron skillets as long as they are well seasoned and maintained.

Nothing will mould unless it's not ventilated. Books need to be on bookshelves. Make sure your mattress is on a slatted base - no mattresses on the floor or it will go mouldy (trust me on this one) esp fast because of the humidity created by the body. Shoes shouldn't be a major problem (leather) if they are used often. It's the ones that sit at the back of the closet that will be gross. Same with fabric shoes. I would just keep the leather ones you like.

You will need to keep onions and potatoes in the fridge.

You won't need aircon necessarily as it will be humid so fans will work very well. The ones with fewer blades are more effective. The 3 blade ones are the best, 5 blade the worst.

if you run out of space in the fridge you can create a meat locker with a ventilated box draped with a wet cloth and put in a breezy area.

[Maluhia]

The only thing we do differently here that I can think of is not leaving anything wet/down/without air flow for any amount of time - ie. damp laundry, etc. Oh, and my Dad has a cheap drug-store dehumidifier where he keeps envelopes (the old lick and stick kind because he likes those better) and salt so they won't stick.

[Logan]

Okay awesome Thanks guys. So as long as things are used regularly and taken care of they should be okay for the most part by the sounds of it.

Should I put anything special on leather shoes to protect them?

What about stored hand-me-down clothes? Maybe damprid inside the boxes?

The problem with this island is you have to take stuff you normally would just rebuy when moving, as nothing much is available on island. So you either have to get friends back home to send stuff or buy it when you travel back to the mainland.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

One of the pharmacy schools that I was thinking of applying to was on the big island of Hawai'i, so I did some research before considering.

One of the things I discovered was that basically all of our furniture would have to go because we are IKEA shoppers, and I read that particle board swells, blisters, and warps. Everything has to be solid wood.

Stainless steel should be fine, though.

Will you have a car? I read that shipping a nice car to a tropical island was a terrible idea - the salt does a number on them. Best to get an island beater.

You might not have to worry about shoes that much - flip-flops might be your footwear of choice.

[lifeguard]

I wouldn't treat leather any differently accept to ensure it's well ventilated - a couple of pairs of dh's boots that just sat in the back of closet were one of the few things wrecked.

We had IKEA furniture (particle board junk) & it was just fine - maybe eventually it would deteriorate faster but we were there 1.5 years & it was not in a room with a/c.

Extra clothes I would either store in an extra closet hanging with damprid in the closet or in a sealed rubbermaid - I'm not sure about the damprid in there.

The good thing is in that climate you don't need a big variety of clothing. Definitely bring the gumboots!

[zebra15]

The thing with humidity is just to make sure there is airflow. When the air is stagnant you get mold. IDK where you want to move to but many online retailers offer shipping so getting stuff isnt that much of a hassle. Also homedepot and such sell things called dehumidifiers!