Ideal Humidity for Visor/Tunic collection?

[BaselA]

Here in the northeast, we have extremely dry and harsh winters. I am curious what the recommended humidity is for visors and uniforms. I am concerned about the leather drying over time, but dont want to over-humidify and ruin the bullion and metal insignia.

I have been considering placing a humidifier near my collection - what would be the ideal temperature/humidity level?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

[RelicHunter]

40-45% is a good number for pretty much everything in your collection. No dry rot in leather or paper, and no rust in metal.

[keifer kahn]

This topic has been covered on here,many times.Use the search engine for additional info.

50% is the recommendation by conservators in museums.

65% rust starts.
30% leather drys out.


Its a hard thing to control humidity unless you have a purpose built collecting room.Fluctuations in Humditiy will occurr in a normal house as the humidity will fluctuate according to weather fluctuations.

My collecting room tends to average out at 40% to 55%.

[Peter_Suciu]

I've been fighting the humidity in my house all winter as well. In the summer it is hot and humid and in the winter it is just dry.

You can boil water to get some humidity flowing in the house in the winter, but be careful about too much humidity too.

I've previously written about humidifiers for a magazine, and one big fear in that these can create a problem. You have to keep humidifiers - portable and whole house systems - CLEAN! Or else you can create mold, which can make you sick and even spread to your collection.

I use a portable humidifier in my living area, and have a small whole house system. I clean each weekly in the winter to reduce the chances of bacteria spreading.

In the summer I run the air conditioner to keep the humidity down, and in my basement I have two de-humidifiers and various dry packs to fight the humdity. I keep the basement at about 40 percent in the summer, and it remains about that in the winter.

[Michael Fay]

cleaning Humidifiers-how?

.....I've previously written about humidifiers for a magazine, and one big fear in that these can create a problem. You have to keep humidifiers - portable and whole house systems - CLEAN! Or else you can create mold, which can make you sick and even spread to your collection.

I use a portable humidifier in my living area, and have a small whole house system. I clean each weekly in the winter to reduce the chances of bacteria spreading. ....

.

Interesting. I believe this a new angle never brought up on WAF yet!

I always wondered about that. How do you safely clean humidifiers-and what parts? I finally decided on my own without any expert advice to spray the hell out of the vents and exposed coils with Lysol and to take the water container outside and soak it in Lysol or Rubbing alcohol and let it dry in hot sun when weather permitted.
Did I do it completely wrong?

[Peter_Suciu]

Interesting. I believe this a new angle never brought up on WAF yet!

I always wondered about that. How do you safely clean humidifiers-and what parts? I finally decided on my own without any expert advice to spray the hell out of the vents and exposed coils with Lysol and to take the water container outside and soak it in Lysol or Rubbing alcohol and let it dry in hot sun when weather permitted.
Did I do it completely wrong?

With a portable humidifier I clean it weekly. I empty out all the water and clean the tank with bleach. I also replace the filter a couple of times during the winter.

With the house system mine is older and uses a tank and a drum. I replace the filter on the drum at least twice in the winter and I also clean out the tank often. I put it in the sink in the basement and clean with bleach, as that will kill most bacteria and far better than alcohol. I'm not sure a system with coils however. Anything you can do to clean is a good idea.

I also use air purifiers in the room with my helmets. This keeps the dust down. Just be sure to use a purifier that has HEPA filters. AVOID iconic devices at all costs. Those are bad! Very bad!

You can do searches for Ionic Breeze to see the dangers.

[Honor]

I use Venta airwasher-humidifier units at home. It runs the air through the water, the water is the filter, so it is cleans and humidifies the air at the same time. Once a month I add to the water a bit of (recommended by Venta) a special treatment fluid that takes care of bacteria, etc inside the water tank. Quite, compact and effective, made in Germany with 10 years warranty.

[BaselA]

I use Venta airwasher-humidifier units at home. It runs the air through the water, the water is the filter, so it is cleans and humidifies the air at the same time. Once a month I add to the water a bit of (recommended by Venta) a special treatment fluid that takes care of bacteria, etc inside the water tank. Quite, compact and effective, made in Germany with 10 years warranty.

Honor, are there controls that allow you to set the desired humidity level?

[Honor]

No, it doesn't have that control but it has three different speeds and the device that measures the humidity level in your room (hygrometer) is worth only a few dollars. I guess it would be easy to control.

[keifer kahn]

I have a Delonghi dehumidifier and all I have to do is clean the mesh filter and empty the tank.I ve had this at least 8 years and that's all ive had to do.

Runs beautifully and it is very efficient.On days when the humidity hits 80-90% this extracts 2 litres water a day, no problems.


Perhaps we need a thread on recommended brands and experiences.