Trials of Drying

I bought a dehumidifier yesterday. Or, rather, I ordered one. Despite what it says on their websites, neither of the local building supplies stores carries them as regular inventory. Actually, one of them does, but it was a fancy over-four- hundred-dollars model that was priced beyond what I was willing to spend. The other one appears to have a reasonable $149 model in a reputable brand on hand, but when you try to put it in your shopping cart online for local pickup, it won't allow you to do so. When you click on the icon to determine availability in your area, it tells you this model is not available at any store within 100 miles. It seems that the normal dryness factor in Colorado does not require the running of a dehumidifier to keep your basement smelling sweet and free of dampness. Based on last summer, I would agree. But the deluge of May 8th that dumped 1.5 inches of rain in twenty minutes prompted a local run on dehumidifiers. The $179 unit I ordered will be here Thursday. With any luck, we will have things dried up by then and I'll end up returning it. On the downside, my old reliable Bissell carpet and upholstery cleaner has bitten the dust. Which means I may have to plow the dehumidifier dollars into buying a new Bissell. Pardon me while I try to prevent future water disaster by applying heavy duty weather stripping to the basement windows.