Environment Considerations

Recommendations:

Keep in a cool environment – 21°C
Keep in a relatively dry place – relative humidity between 30 – 50%
Keep the temperature and humidity as consistent as possible
Use a closet on the main level of your home

Try to Avoid:

Basements – these tend to be high in humidity and elevated risk of water leaks
Attics – these tend to have elevated temperature fluctuations
Windows and exterior walls – These areas are a risk of water intrusion and often have inconsistent temperatures.
Never set your boxes directly on concrete. Concrete conducts cold and wicks moisture.
Temperature fluctuations
Humidity fluctuations

Humidity – The Library of Congress recommends 35% relative humidity for comic storage. The Northeast Document Conservation Center recommends a range of relative humidity between a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 50%. Research indicates that relative humidity’s at the lower end of this range are preferable since deterioration then progresses at a slower rate. In general, the lower the temperature the better. Most average rooms at average room temperature will be within this range. The important thing to note is that it remains consistent, and because relative humidity can change even within the same room, it’s important to store comic books away from windows and doors, which can cause the relative humidity to fluctuate. Maintaining stable conditions is crucial. Having a fan always running in the same room that the comics are stored in will also help even out any changes in temperature or humidity.

Shameless Plug – While these recommendations may be expensive or even impossible to achieve, Preserver Haven has relatively inexpensive products that collectors can use to monitor and maintain humidity levels for comic storage. These include dehumidifiers and silica desiccants. Our dehumidifiers have reusable desiccant packs which will indicate via colour change when they need to be “recharged”, pop them in the oven till they turn back to their original colour again and when they cool off they are good to put back in your comic storage location.

Temperature – The Northeast Document Conservation Center recommends 21°C (70°F). Heat accelerates deterioration: the rate of most chemical reactions, including deterioration, is approximately doubled with each increase in temperature of 10°C (18°F). A range of acceptable temperatures is between 10°C (50°F) and 21°C (70°F). Again, temperature consistency is crucial, drastic swings can accelerate the aging process, even if the temperature remains within this safe zone.

What about Air and Oxygen?
Do these elements damage comics? Isn’t it bad to completely seal off the comics and make them airtight?

The reality is that an airtight environment is the proper environment and by far the best one for preservation. By keeping out the oxygen, moisture and insects, and by keeping the temperature reasonably low, you can provide an environment in which your comics will become “Golden.”

References

https://www.bcwsupplies.com/blog/2015/06/22/polyester-polypropylene/

https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/paper.html

https://www.awm.gov.au/about/our-work/projects/documents

https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/overview

https://www.keepfiling.com/archival-safety-a/134.htm

http://www.clearfile.com/archival-storage.aspx

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/collections/preservation/choosing-safe-plastics.html

http://www.home-museum.com/howto/HowToArts/Materials/materials.htm

http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/167267/safe_enclosure_materials.pdf

https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/205695-are-acid-free-backing-boards-truly-acid-free-time-to-ph-test-amp-find-out/

http://www.spnhc.org/media/assets/SPNHC_CND_Supplies.pdf