Question about archival storage and polypropylene

When you spoke with Gaylord did you speak with a customer representative, or someone with technical expertise? You will be asking them questions that they
don't usually have to respond to, except perhaps from conservators.

You would need to contact the various suppliers, and ask to speak with someone who can tell you if their polypropylene containers have been tested for VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that might affect enclosed artifacts, using "Oddy" tests or other analytical methods.

Here is an abstract for an article that may be a good introduction to the subject, and can arm you with useful terms and understanding (the full article does not appear to be available online without paying. You may be able to obtain a copy of the journal issue through a library.) -
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/01410096.2000.9995149?needAccess=true

"Oddy" tests have become a standard in conservation, named after their originator, Andrew Oddy.
https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Oddy_Test#History

My comments here have been in the vein of general warnings, based on my previous training in conservation. I have been out of the field for awhile now, and cannot speak to the practices of any specific suppliers. But I feel confident in saying that not all polypropylene is created equal because of the issue of varying additives (even in small amounts). And you have a better chance of avoiding unexpected problems by buying from conservation suppliers.

 

Really appreciate your insight and information! Definitely have some research to do. This has been a topic I always with I knew more about.

I do not know the job title of the person at Gaylord I spoke with. I guess I assumed all of their employees would be trained on these things since it's what the company does. It definitely gets confusing when as a consumer you have to try and track down suppliers/experts etc. to know what materials you are purchasing (especially when buying from a well-know archival materials company).

I'm definitely interested in learning more about this! But for now my textiles will have to be ok in sterlite bins

 

@research , you may already know how to do this, but -- as @2manybooks said, you can get a copy of the Taylor & Francis article linked above (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01410096.2000.9995149) by request through your local library. I don't know your location, but in the US you can request either through a public library or through a university library. For the university libraries you generally have to have some affiliation that allows you to request items. For example, I retired from university work and the university still allows me to request articles through interlibrary loan.

 

Hi there! I'm Amanda from Gaylord Archival. I thought I could weigh in, although everyone's been really helpful with comments so far. Polypropylene is inert, which means it's chemically unreactive and won't break down, off gas, or harm items long term. However, sometimes commercial plastic manufacturers add coatings or additives that aren't the best choice for preserving artifacts. For example, we source specific types of plastic polyester films (formerly Mylar) that are uncoated and therefore safe for long term storage. The manufacturer would normally coat the films for other applications so the plastic sheets/rolls won't stick together and are easier to use. Quality control can be challenging, as sometimes suppliers do change their recipes so look for materials that are odd or PAT tested, if possible.

All that said, commercially available plastic storage containers are better than no storage at all for textiles. We would support lining them with acid free, lignin free tissue or a non-bleached cotton muslin material (or similar). Choose an unbuffered tissue if your garments contain things like silk, wool, leather, feathers, and other protein based items. Storage in a stable environment away from light with little chance for temperature/humidity fluctuations is ideal.

For more information, we have a resource called Guide to Collections Care that's available online. We partnered with conservators to create content on archival best practices and it contains a section on textile storage that you might find helpful .https://info.gaylord.com/resources/explore-our-guide-to-collections-care

 

B - Posting links to personal sales sites is not permitted. A personal sales site may be defined as any web site of a business that you own, or the site of a business that you work for, or are affiliated with in any way, that offers items for sale.

 

Looks like the Guide to Collections Care is free to download in pdf. Unless there was another link that was removed?

 

it is , and it's helpful...... I'd think...

but.... the site...is a selling site...offering products for sale

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Oh, I see what you mean, in re-reading the paragraph.

 

the link offers up the Guide..... & all sorts of shopping opportunities ..... on that page as well...

Shop exhibit ... Shop preservation.... right there on the top of the page..

Gaylord is mentioned here on this thread. several times..... even being contacted... and having their staff show up a year later with insightful information is just fine and dandy...... & helpful......

but the link is a bridge too far.!

Now having said that , combined with the trouble I've just gotten myself into elsewhere....
I will no longer report any posts.... or remind any new posters about any of the rules here........ I'll leave that to others.

 

That is up to you, but I think you do a good service with those reminders.

 

Thank you Fig !
I'll consider what you've said.

 

2many, thank you!

 

Amanda, thank you!