Anyone who has ever opened a box of old precious possessions and found mouse droppings, dead bugs, yellowed brittle pages or acid-stained photographs understands the serious repercussions of poorly executed storage.

We all have family keepsakes that we wish to hold onto – things like important documents, diaries, letters, posters, marriage certificates, college diplomas and other archive-worthy items that we want to pass down to our children’s children. In order for this to happen, these archive materials and family heirlooms will need special handling and effective storage solutions.

Paper and photographs contain acids that will cause paper and photos to yellow, decay and get brittle over time. This is why investing in high quality storage supplies is necessary. Safe Self-Storage has accumulated a short list of must-have packaging material to guarantee the preservation of your documents and photographs in the long run.

• Archival boxes: Although archival boxes are more costly than regular ones, consider their purchase to be a long term investment. Unlike regular boxes, archival boxes are made of acid-free materials. They are sturdier, and have reinforced corners that keep boxes from crushing if other boxes get stacked on them. Archival boxes will help protect your keepsakes from the ravages of acid, dust, dirt, pests and light in the long run.
• Acid-free plastic bags and sleeves: Only use protective acid-free plastic when storing photos, CDs or DVDs – especially those that contain family photos. Archival plastic sleeves also keep card or stamp collections from degenerating and sticking against one another.
• Acid-free paper tissue: Wrap all the items that are to be placed in the archival box with acid-free tissue paper. The same thing applies for envelopes and folders – those should be acid-free as well.

Many people choose to store their family documents and photographs in their attic or garage area, where climate control is the worst and the keepsakes are left to simply wither away. If you want your items to last, store them in a clean, climate-controlled storage facility such as the one Safe Self-Storage provides for its clients.

If you have any questions about self-storage facilities and services, contact Safe Self-Storage today. 403-508-7787.