What part of room/house is most resistant to bad temperature/air cir effects? 0

[bronze_rules]

Hi all. I'm considering moving books, etc. around and I'm wondering if there are any good suggestions on areas to place paper based products (books, comics, ephemera) etc.. There are the intuitively obvious ones, like don't place it right next to a bathroom without good ventilation. But what about near the floor? Near the ceilings? Near the walls etc? Maybe the answer is they all equally absorb bad environments.

Please make the (ok simpleton) assumption that there is not a good climate/environment to begin with.

 

Is moving them around periodically a good thing? I always wonder what bookstores do to preserve their books aside from having some type of climate control. But I often see them move books around, and wonder if it is just for marketing placement concerns or if part of it is giving them movement and air circulation.

 

P.S. I guess it might have been discussed previously, so any links (outside ones I didn't find readily relevant via search) are appreciated.

Edited February 27, 2013 by bronze_rules

[ChicksCosmiComics]

Good question I would say above ground not in the basement where it might be damp, I read somewhere they should be on an interior wall away from windows and changes of temperature.

 

I have my comic room upstairs boxed and on shelves on an interior wall

[thehumantorch]

In the basement, the coolest area of the house. I'd avoid outside walls and wouldn't store them under any water pipes to avoid damage from leaks.

[Bill1]

Cool is good, but I would NEVER store comics below ground-- sooner or later, there will be a flood. As far as moving them around, leave them alone. You moving them will do more damage than any other factor. Look at the great collections found-- always in a closet or somewhere left alone for years, often without bags/boards.

[bronze_rules]

Another thing to add is how close to the wall if that is your selection. I think that walls might have a better propensity to absorb and transfer extreme temperatures.. so (ok maybe it is just a dream) it seems that the optimal place would be in the perfect center of the room, away from walls. Obviously, we can't do that... but, we can place them some distance from a wall on shelves (that might no be so aesthetically pleasing either) .

 

I also see some conflicts on basement. I would intuitively think the basement was a bad place as well, but we have the edgar church collection to refute that. Maybe in his case, the constant cold climate was already making a good environment surrounding to begin with? In some cases, moisture is a big problem and I would intuitively think the basement is more of a moisture trap than open spaces in the house (windows allow air circulation).

 

I also agree, that the best way to avoid water flooding damage (I had a pipe spontaneously burst in another house) is to have them elevated from the floor. I also make sure to turn off the main water whenever I go on a vacation.

[bronze_rules]

Cool is good, but I would NEVER store comics below ground-- sooner or later, there will be a flood. As far as moving them around, leave them alone. You moving them will do more damage than any other factor. Look at the great collections found-- always in a closet or somewhere left alone for years, often without bags/boards.

 

Interesting point. I remember mucking around with a long box high up in a closet one time. Long story short-- several long boxe(s) fell and I ended up doing a magical transformation from 7-9s to 4-6s..

[joecgcmaniac]

Another thing to add is how close to the wall if that is your selection. I think that walls might have a better propensity to absorb and transfer extreme temperatures.. so (ok maybe it is just a dream) it seems that the optimal place would be in the perfect center of the room, away from walls. Obviously, we can't do that... but, we can place them some distance from a wall on shelves (that might no be so aesthetically pleasing either) .

 

I also see some conflicts on basement. I would intuitively think the basement was a bad place as well, but we have the edgar church collection to refute that. Maybe in his case, the constant cold climate was already making a good environment surrounding to begin with? In some cases, moisture is a big problem and I would intuitively think the basement is more of a moisture trap than open spaces in the house (windows allow air circulation).

 

I also agree, that the best way to avoid water flooding damage (I had a pipe spontaneously burst in another house) is to have them elevated from the floor. I also make sure to turn off the main water whenever I go on a vacation.

 

Just remember, if you live in an area where a flood or heavy rains are even a remote possibility, the basement will turn into a death-trap for your books. And there aren't too many things worse than losing books to a flood or water, or even if you get to the books before the water does, you face the backbreaking task of carrying all your books up at least a flight of stairs.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

Attic, not vented.

[youmechooz]

i keep mine in my comic book room in my finished basement.

[WolverineX]

Just bumping this up to hear how most people store their comics in their homes?

 

Do you all use Dehumidifers or is having constant air conditioning good enough?   

[snitzer]

Just like my neighbor to the south of me, Edgar Church, in the basement, off the floor. Basements stay plenty cool and dry above 5k feet 👍

Edited May 29, 2021 by snitzer

[Ares]

In my basement hobby room.

Just one small window

[Vixom]

Anywhere with normal solid conditions. If I am fine the comics will be too. Started in basement, then to closets, then the garage. No idea what next place will be. 

[Cushing Fan]

Upstairs closet in my house so no exposure to light and I have central A/C to regulate temperature. 

[ectocooler]

I recommend using a hygrometer https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079N98K93/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I store in my finished basement. I was more worried about high humidity, but it caught that it was too low last winter. Turns out our house’s humidifier was broken before we moved in. I’ve been keeping it a consistent 45% ever since.

[kav]

I know Action #1's have been stored in walls with good results.

[djzombi]

I have my collection in my basement, elevated on pallets in case of any stray water mishaps (basement is not prone to flooding, but in extreme weather conditions, some water does leak in), about 1 foot away from the outside wall (which is mostly underground), with a dehumidifier.  

[The Green Ghost]

Is it really bad to have them close (like an inch away from, not touching) walls that seem to be a little thin and thus open to relatively very cold temperatures? heat isn't an issue but I'm worried the pages will wrinkle if there for prolonged period. But there's not really anywhere else to put it, what am I going to do, the house is what it is.

[Mercury Man]

Walk in closet in spare room.   No windows, interior walls, in short boxes elevated a bit on shelves.  The only drawback is I live in FLA, so humidity is always a fight.  I usually have an active cannister of 'Damp Rid' in there. 

[Jeffro.]

The following is purely anecdotal and certainly won't apply to everyone.

When I was a teenager in the 80s, all my comics were stored in my second floor bedroom closet. The closet had one wall that faced the front of the house. The other three walls were interior facing. This was in Connecticut. Very warm to hot and humid summers and potentially very cold and dry winters. Wild temperature swings were not uncommon. (hey, it's New England)

There was no air conditioning in the house so it got quite warm in the summer. My parents did have a in-ceiling fan installed at the top of the stairs and when we turned that on. it did a good job of sucking hot air out of the house. However, the humidity didn't change. 

I didn't have much choice but to use my closet. Despite the less than ideal storage conditions, the comics didn't seem to suffer much in the way of ill effects. I credit that to the micro environment that I created in the closet. By keeping it closed most of the time I was able to regulate (somewhat) the temp and humidity extremes. 

Again, anecdotal (but true!) so take it as such.