protecting books and papers in storage

[john westmore_______]

I want to store some papers and some books in the house roof space and also the garden shed. Being in the U.K. both places can get a bit damp.

So I thought I would wrap well in a plastic bag to keep out the damp, and then put aluminium cooking foil around them (i'm told this would stop any mice chewing into it).

Are these these the best things to do? Thanks for any advice.

[RicodJour]

Use one of those vacuum clothes storage bags. Throw in some silica gel desiccant bags for good measure. Then do whatever you need to do to keep the critters away.

R

[Palindrome]

I use bags meant for storage, of the type where you suck out the air with a vacuum cleaner. Works a treat. Easy to open, take something out and reseal in a jiffy.

I doubt that cooking foil works, having seen some of the things they will chew their way through, if it suits them.

-- Sue

[Bert Hyman]

[e-mail] (john westmore_______) wrote in news:g52oah$oco$ [e-mail]:

Many plastics contain chemicals which are destructive of papers over the long term, and mice chew through walls.

Your local or regional historical society will likely have all sorts of information and resources for preserving your documents.

For example, the Minnesota Historical Society has a number of papers on the subject, available here:

[Tim Smith]

Another place that might be useful is your local comic book store. Comic collectors are greatly interested in preserving their collections, and a good comic store should have bags available that won't contain chemicals that will damage paper.