Keep your treasures out of the attic!

It’s that time of year again when the temperatures and humidity are on the rise.  For the love of God, don’t store your antiques in the attic!  (Or the basement for that matter).  Plastic, wax, styrofoam, records or anything valuable cannot take the temperature extremes of attic temperatures.  Wooden items will expand and contract and finishes will fade, blister or crack in super hot weather.  When the temps are in the 90’s, your attic temperatures can hit 130 degrees and up!  I always feel bad for home inspectors or service folks who must work in attics in the Summer.

Attics can also have leaks, rodents, squirrels or insects.  Silverfish and roaches will destroy your books and rodent droppings can carry disease.  One of the things you need to be careful of is the disintegration of plastic bags.  When getting estate sales ready we have found that folks will often wrap things in black trash bags or plastic storage bags.  When these bags are exposed to temperature extremes over long periods, they can disintegrate into fine particles that could be breathed in and cause serious health problems.  People often keep their holiday items in the attic and this is not good for them either.  We have found lots of ruined Christmas and Halloween items in attics and basements.

We don’t have a lot of true basements here in Georgia but for those that do, mold and mildew can cause problems in antiques as well, especially paper products and textiles.  We often see nice prints that have been backed with cardboard which is a huge no-no!  This will cause “foxing” in the print which is when brown spots appear within the print and will ruin them.  Moisture can get behind the glass of prints and pictures also.  The Georgia humidity will also cause rusting of metals in attics and basements.  The best way to enjoy your antiques is by having them displayed in climate controlled homes and using them every day. If you have valuables in the attic or basement, you may need to have a sale or downsize your collection.  Happy Collecting!