Dear Donia,
How can I safely and affordably store family items?
Q. Dear Donia,
I have a lot of different family items to store (clothing, paper, etc.). Acid-free boxes are too expensive for me and the quantities that I need so I was thinking of buying acid-free tissue paper to wrap them in then place them into regular cardboard boxes or plastic bins. Would that work as a barrier so that items won’t get stain? Thanks, Raquel
A. Dear Raquel,
I understand the difficulties in trying to pay for acid-free boxes for all your family collections. I work with many people and institutions who struggle with the same problem. What I advise is to get acid-free tissue to wrap the clothing and acid-free folders for the paper documents. This way, what is directly in contact with your family items is safe and will protect the items from the non-acid-free boxes. If you find you have a little extra over the years, you can slowly replace the old boxes with new acid-free ones.
Good luck keeping your family treasures safe!