Why you shouldn't store valuable stuff in your basement or attic

It’s time to start spring cleaning again. Although I don’t have an opinion about where you should store your snow shovels or old sports equipment, I do have one piece of advice as you start this yearly ritual: have you considered the condition of your family heirlooms? Do you know where they’re stored?

I’m not talking about things you would keep in a safety deposit box at a bank. I’m talking about your grandparents’ wedding photos, the 8mm home movie from your mom’s sixteenth birthday, or the VHS of your dance recital. The letters your relatives have written to each other or that cool coat your dad wore in the 60’s (The Basics of Textile Preservation). You don’t always think about these types of things as family treasures you have to take care of, but you should (Starting Your Family Archives Project). 

I’ve made some amazing discoveries of photos that looked like they could have been taken yesterday when rummaging through old boxes in my mom’s garage, but I’ve also found letters in my grandparents’ basement that were absolutely ruined in a flood. If you keep photos or home movies, or any other sort of one-of-a-kind keepsake in your basement, attic or garage, you might notice they aren’t in the same shape you remember. Depending on where you live, these spaces are rarely air conditioned or heated since you don’t use them every day. You can also have issues with inconsistent humidity levels, flooding or leaks. You may not realize it, but these fluctuating conditions can be very damaging to your important family pieces. Ever notice your photos sticking together or cracking? Film reels starting to smell like vinegar? Ink on important documents smudging from moisture, or fading? Paper starting to get yellow and brittle? Fabrics starting to get that telltale musty smell? These are just a few examples, but you would be surprised how quickly an uncontrolled and unmonitored environment can damage the things you are hoping to pass down to your family.

Storing these assets in the right conditions is your best way to be able to hand them down to future generations, as well as be able to enjoy them yourself. We see these issues all the time at Iron Mountain Media and Archive Services, and we utilize all the tools available to preserve those precious items (How to Preserve Family Archives (papers and photographs)). For example, for photos and documents, scanning is one option - it both preserves the image and allows you to share photos or letters with your family and friends across the globe. And while it isn’t the same as holding that original photo in your hand, a digital surrogate does help preserve it for posterity if you scan at high enough resolution (at minimum 300-600 dpi). It is also important to store these assets in archival packaging. Using acid free boxes, photo sleeves, and folders can help keep your precious assets as they are (5.5 Storage Enclosures for Photographic Materials — NEDCC). Those sticky-backed photo albums can be very harmful (5.3 Care of Photographs — NEDCC). 

The most important thing you can do for documents, media and memorabilia alike is to store them in stable moderate temperatures with consistent humidity levels to help extend their life (2.6 Low Cost/No Cost Improvements in Climate Control). There are kits available to help you preserve old family letters and photos, and companies that can help transfer your old home movies from film or video. Storing vintage clothes or accessories wrapped in archival tissue or fabric in an acid free box can help keep them from fading or deteriorating (Preserving Textiles | National Archives). This is just some of what you can do in your home to preserve your family history. But the most important thing you can do is to get that stuff out of your attic!