How To Properly Store Vintage Musical Media In Your Storage Unit
If you need to store some of your belongings in a storage unit, and you own music from past decades, you most likely wish to properly preserve the media on which it located while protecting it from harm. Musical media can be safely stored in your unit if you take precautionary steps in its packaging. Here are some tips to use if you need to hold your vintage musical library in a storage unit for an extended period of time.
Keeping Your Old Albums Preserved Without Warping
It is best to keep your vinyl albums in the original paper sleeves they had been packaged in when new. If you no longer have a sleeve for some of your albums, purchase acid-free sleeves online or from a music store. If you no longer have the cardboard sleeve the paper slides into, you can make one from a large piece of poster board. Store your records vertically in an airtight container if possible. A plastic storage container will work well.
Record albums become damaged if they are exposed to extreme heat or humidity. It is best to rent a climate-controlled storage unit if you plan on placing albums inside. If your storage facility does not offer climate control and you have no choice but to leave your records inside, make sure to place several bowls of cat litter in the unit to help grab moisture from the air, keeping humidity levels low.
Storing Eight-Track Cartridges And Cassette Tapes Properly
If you have cassette tapes or eight-track cartridges in your possession, a storage case made especially for this media would house them best. These containers come with slots for each plastic case to fit into perfectly. You can also organize your tapes or cartridges by artist or genre easily, as the titles would be showing in this type of container. If you do not have a container, a plastic storage container would work for keeping the media dry and out of harm's way.
Make sure each cassette or cartridge has a plastic case if possible. In a pinch, you can slide each one into an individual plastic storage bag so the tape portion is protected from tangling and heat or moisture damage. Place the bags inside shoe boxes and stack them in the container. This will give the cartridges or cassettes added protection, safeguarding them from cracking should something fall on the container.
Preserving Your Compact Discs For Future Use
Compact discs can become scratched if they are not placed in cases, making it very important to do so if you wish to protect the tracks on each one. These can be found in the electronics section of any home goods store. It is important for compact discs to become acclimated to the temperature of the storage unit gradually to reduce stress which can lead to a lower quality sound. This can be done by taking the temperature in your unit and decreasing or increasing the temperature where the compact discs are normally stored by a degree or two. When you get close to target temperature, move your compact disc collection to your storage unit. Place your compact disc collection in a plastic storage container so they remain clean and dry.