Here’s How To Preserve Your Stuff

Posted by Richard on July 24, 2024

Mom gave her daughter an ancient and extremely delicate Japanese tea set that originally belonged to Grandma. The daughter loved it and she wanted to display it, so she carefully placed the set in a curio cabinet. One day, the dog jumped up, accidentally hooked his collar on the cabinet knob, and pulled the whole cabinet down. The tea set smashed into hundreds of tiny shards and, just like that, the heirloom was gone.

You wonder why things don’t survive over the generations: Accidents, mishandling, or just normal wear and tear.

Nearly everyone has stuff they save. Antiques, boxes of newspaper clippings, vinyl records, photographs, maybe an old wedding dress, and old kindergarten drawings. Authors Louisa Jaggar and Don Williams give some advice in their book “Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve Your Collectibles, Heirlooms, and Prized Possessions”.

One of the keys to saving stuff is knowing what can damage it. Light will fade everything from photos to textiles and paintings. Both sunlight and fluorescent light can be harmful. To protect valuable wall hangings, switch to lower-wattage lights. Temperature extremes, too hot or too cold, make many items brittle. Museums keep their thermostats at 70 degrees. Moisture will dissolve, stain, or mold your treasures. Keep them in a plastic tub with a tight seal. Never wrap anything in plastic cling wrap. Air pollution, tobacco smoke, and oily polishes are bad for antique furniture. Use furniture wax to protect it. Bugs and critters are notoriously dangerous to keepsakes. Maintain your home so mice can’t get in and be sure your windows are screened. Handling with bare hands can damage delicate papers, fabrics, metals, and ceramics. Wear cotton gloves when handling antique books and papers. Guard against flooding. If you must store important keepsakes in a basement, store them in a plastic container with a secure closure.

Lastly, if you have something delicate and precious, think twice about displaying it. Stuff just happens sometimes.