As Hurricane Irma barrels towards Florida, millions are boarding up their homes and safeguarding their belongings. One Facebook user suggested a clever way to keep valuables from getting soaked in the case of flooding.
Anna Kearns wrote, "FLORIDA PEEPS! GOOD ADVICE! EMPTY YOUR DISHWASHER AND PUT ANYTHING YOU WANT TO PRESERVE IN THERE. It's waterproof and secured to cabinets so it's more likely to survive a storm. TELL YOUR FRIENDS."
[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/anna.kearns/posts/1021141... data width="800"[/facebook]Because it's designed to keep water in, the idea is that it should be a barrier from floodwaters, as well. Plus dishwashers are often anchored between cabinets, which should help it stay put.
The post has been shared almost a million times.
Florida newspaper Palm Beach Post recommends the dishwasher trick, too. "According to the Florida Bar, the state organization for lawyers, there's no harm in that, and it is a secure enclosure, but don't forget and later turn the thing on!"
It's important to note, though, that the dishwasher may not be totally waterproof — as the Facebook post suggests — should flooding occur in your home. The Times-Picayune polled its readers, and a few reported issues with mud and water seeping in, covering the items inside.
One popular tip is to place photographs and important documents in a sealed, Ziploc bag before storing them in the dishwasher. "That doesn't work," wrote Barbara Hussey of Belle Chasse. "I put dishes I wanted to save in my dishwasher. They did not break, but the mud and water in St. Bernard Parish managed to get inside. Photographs stored in a dishwasher would just be little pieces of white paper. Some things I put in Ziploc bags were wet and others were dry."
Another New Orleans resident said that the only dishes from her wedding set that she was unable to recover were the ones she stored in her dishwasher, because they were too coated with "muck" to keep. "I guess when the house is under 6 feet of water for several days, nothing is waterproof," Ginger Jackson told the newspaper.
Similarly, the Palm Beach Post points out that the safest place for your valuables is a safe outside of the hurricane's path, writing: "If possible, the Bar says, use a home safe, and if time permits, scan everything and get the originals to a safe place outside of the storm area."
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