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Things that Endanger Your Treasures

 



When people find out my degree is in Museum Studies and I work at a museum, I’m constantly being asked questions like:

“What things do I need to look out for in order to protect my keepsakes?” 

“What’s the worst thing that could happen to my great-grandmother’s wedding dress?”

“So my photos are just thrown into a cardboard box, that’s probably not the best thing, right”

“I could never afford to properly store my grandfather’s Bible, could I?”


The majority of my answers revolve around four things that can endanger your treasures so, I’ve created a little guide on those things and solutions you can start implementing today to help mitigate them. I’ve made it in a worksheet form to really help you think through changes you might need to make.


But I also wanted to share a fifth thing for you to be aware of just in this blog post and that’s how materials can interact with each other. The more complex an object is as far as the materials that it is made up of the more complex it can be to take care of. But knowledge is power. You’ve got this!


The two main culprits that you want to think about are wood and metal.


The main issue with metal is that it corrodes and when that happens if the metal is combined with other materials it puts those materials at further risk. So what do those reactions look like?

  • Cloth and paper become stained 

  • Paint can flake

  • Combined with a different metal an electrochemical corrosion can occur


At the same time other materials can cause metal to corrode like the tannins in leather, acids in wood, or the alkaline materials in plaster.


Speaking of wood, what can it do to other materials? Well, a lot.

  • It can stain and cause paper and textiles to go brittle.

  • Because wood contracts/expands it can put stress on other materials like paint, natural fibers and different types of wood, causing weakness, breaks, and flaking.


How do you prevent these reactions? The best remedy is staying on top of your temperature and humidity. But also think about barriers between objects. Instead of setting a metal object directly on a wooden shelf, use acid free cardstock or archival myar. These barriers can often be slipped in between other materials as well to keep the contact to a minimum.


Now that I’ve piqued your curiosity, be sure to grab your copy of


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