Collection Protection Blog 

Audio


Information about
Storing 78 and
Vinyl Records


Do you need to
clean a brand new
record from the 
factory before
playing it?


Album and 45
Collection Protection
Tips and 78rpm
Collection

How to Clean 78
& Vinyl Records

Audio Cassette
Care Tips


Comic


Comic Collection
Protection Tips


Tips on Comic Backings

How to Eliminate
the Effects of Acid in
Your Comics


Protect Your Comics
from Oxygen, Moisture,
and Light with SafeSpace
 
Comic Care Tips


Trading Card


Trading Card
Collecting Tips

 
Become A Trading 
Card Investor
 
The Card Collectors
Beginners Guide

 
What’s the best
way to store your
Trading Cards?
 
Safely Store a
Sports Pennant

Periodical


What Makes a Newspaper, Magazine, or Periodical Valuable?


Wet Book Care Tips

12 Things You Might Not Know About MAD Magazine
 
The Best Way to Protect Magazines

Newspapers, Magazines, Documents, Manuscripts & Sheet Music Storage

Photo


Matting a Photo

New Magnetic Photo
Albums vs. Old Style
 
Is Simpler Better
in Photography?

Best way to store
your photos

Expanding Your
Photography Collection

Print & Poster


Poster Collecting Tips


How to Eliminate 
the Effects of Acid in 
your Posters

 
Polyester (Mylar) Sleeves
for Maps and Other 
Non-standard Prints

How do you
choose the correct
poster sleeves?

Matting & Framing


Matting a Photo

Why Choose an 
Archival Frame?

Frames are Available
Exclusively from
Bags Unlimited



Question asked: Is polyester the “best” material to use for storing paper products long-term?

Answer:

Yes – the problem with storing paper products in polyester (mylar) is that it has no “breathing” capabilities and sealing it is really not a good idea as moisture would be trapped inside and could potentially cause mold and mildew problems down the line. Mylar is used by museums and archives because it has 10’s of 100’s of years of life before it would break down and have to be replaced. This is a good thing for places like museums, as they could never be able to keep track of all the millions of documents they have and have to worry about replacing the sleeves before they start to deteriorate. Mylar needs to be kept in a controlled environment because of that “breathing” issue – and museums have that. Most homes do not. Desiccants need to be monitored carefully as well. They do absorb moisture, but you would need some kind of moisture gauge, as #1 if you have too much desiccant, you could make the paper brittle and cause it to start breaking down and #2 - eventually the desiccant needs replacing, as it will sooner or later have no more absorbing capabilities and stop doing the job. Moisture is a very tricky problem with paper as you can imagine. That is why polypro and polyethylene are considered good alternatives for the standard collector who is looking for a lifetime of protection for their collectibles 50-100 years. They have “breathing” properties and as long as they are not left out to absorb light, will not break down for 50-100 years.

 Marion Oyer

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