Collection Storage Vs Home Environment

Hello!

I was wondering, because my indoor air is very dry and I can feel it in my nose now when it's wintertime, is it safe to place a stookbook about 2-3 meters from a medium hot radiator? I know an enemy of stamps is "heat", but it's not directly aimed at the albums which stands on a higher platform against the wall. The temperature is 21 degrees celcius constant, I placed a thermometer next to the albums.

The thing is, too dry air is not good either, I can tell the stamps gum has stiffened up and the shape of some has bent a little. No toning of course since the problem is not too moist, but too dry indoor air. This area is free from any sunlight and not close to any windows, in fact there are no windows in that room. Very dark too.

I'm trying to get a good mix of dry air and a little humidity so the conditions are perfect or as good as I can make it.

And no, I can't afford a humidifier-device.

The temperature itself is more than reasonable (21C is about 70F), and the distance is certainly safe. But while the stamps are warm(er) than they would otherwise be, I'm not certain that the heat solves the issue; isn't the air you're heating still dry? As you allude to, it's humidity you need, not just temperature. The Sahara and Antarctica are both deserts, after all.

Maybe it's a myth lol but I can put a big bowl of cold water next to the radiator, maybe that raises the humidity a little bit.

Or maybe open the windows and balcony door 1-2 times per day and let in cold dry air. It should react with the radiators heat... or my thinking is wrong?

My opinion is stability of temperature,
Not based on any science, just experience.

My location weather goes from 0 degrees C, to 42. (32-108f)
But inside is always between 15 and 25 (59-77f)

Not had any discernible problems in 20 years.

Wide fluctuations in temp can have the gum viscocity change
and the paper pushed and pulled.

Yeah I noticed that rod ha ha.

In the winter I have exactly 20 degrees celcius inside, in the summer everything from 25 to 29 inside.
I guess it's too big of a change, I don't know. Ventilation is good though, they cleaned the pipes so the windows stopped dripping immediately. This was only going on for 1 week, I called and they took measures with the entire house ventilation. I live in a small 1 room apartment. This was about 2 years ago, never happened since.

I would keep them in an enclosed area (closet or cabinet) so the temp and humidity does not vary as much.

Thanks! I do have the stockbooks in slipcases.

I doubt a room's dryness will hurt stamps. More often than not, it's too much moisture in the air that's the problem for stamps, not too much dryness. Up to a point anyway.

But if you need to, you can humidify the air inside a room without buying an expensive humidifier. Taking a hot shower humidifies the air in the bathroom a great deal, so try to use that as a guide. Your'e not going to want that much humidity, of course, but putting some water in the room will help since the water will gradually evaporate. Years ago, people often put a pan of water on top of radiators to accomplish the same thing. Some plants in a room can help raise the humidity a little, too, since they need regular watering and give off some moisture. You don't want to create a jungle, but a plant or two won't hurt anything in a very dry room. if the humidity goes up too much, remove a plant.

But first I'd get a hygrometer to measure the humidity in your stamp room and tell you if you're keeping it moderate and stable. Sometimes these are combined with thermometers and can be very inexpensive. That's the first step. And figure out what level of humidity you're aiming for. I actually use de-humidifiers where I live since moisture is the enemy here and I don't want any more of it. I prefer a fairly dry environment for my stamps.

I finally ordered a hygrometer, the one in the link below, and chose home delivery for an extra free (due to covid and laziness). It's not the most advanced, but due to tight economy a total cost of €30 was ok and it got great reviews from customers. (Not that that's reliable) https://www.ellos.se/beurer/termome...hm16/1004994

It both has thermometer and hygrometer in one. Worth a try!

I will get back to this thread and let you know what the readings in my apartment were! :) Thanks for all the advices, and happy new year!

I bought this one in Australia 7 euros
Time
date
temperature
Humidity
Battery driven

Generally out by 1-2 % most days
Made in...you guessed it.

Yes but prices are lower in Australia because Crocodile Dundee lives there, they are afraid of the "that's a knife!" :-)

It is an oversimplification, but if you are comfortable, then your paper collectibles are happy.

Longer answer: Keep paper collectibles cool, dark, dry, and away from mold, insects, and vermin. Stability of temperature and humidity are also important - and at levels typically comfortable for your own living space - something fairly close to 70F and 50% humidity.

Ok so I have bought the hygrometer now and have it turned on. It shows exactly 30-32% humidty where my stamps are stored, temperature 21 Celcius. So this is the reason that the stamps feel "stiffer" and slightly bend/"curly"?

I put a bowl of water next to the radiator and a wet towel hanging on the radiator (which is off), and the humidity increased to 36%. It's placed about 2 meters from the stamp albums.

Is this the right approach?!

(It's wintertime here in Sweden I might add, and -2 degrees Celcius outside.)

A decent size fish tank will also serve to add moisture to the atmosphere, but it will require you to constantly add water.

The key to paper conservation is to keep stable atmospheric conditions. Think of paper like a sponge; if the RH and temperature is constantly fluctuating the paper will try to normalize with the surround atmospheric. Constantly attempting to normalize can cause damage to the paper fibers and draw in airborne contaminants like acidic CO2 or other atmospheric pollutants.

So whatever you end up doing, try to minimize humidity and temperature fluctuations.
Don

So 30-35% humidity during the wintertime won't threaten the stamps?
It says on google that ideal for stamps is 40-55%

Yes, I will try to prevent big fluctuations in both temp and RH.

Outside of a facility that has a sophisticated HVAC system you do the best that you can within reason. The lesser of the two evils is lower RH when it comes to paper. Don't sweat it.