Tips For Storing Vinyl, Cassettes, And CDs
You may be listening to more musical on digital devices, but that doesn't mean you are ready to get rid of your whole collection. Whether you need to store vinyl, cassette tapes, or CDs, knowing the right way to do it can help you avoid damage to your precious tunes. The following tips can help:
Tip #1: Invest in climate control
Heat is the enemy of music. It warps records and CDs. Combine heat with humidity and sensitive cassette ribbons can suffer irreparable damage. Your best option is to rent a climate controlled unit. These units manage both heat and humidity so that the air is cool and dry. This also cuts down on moisture damage to the sleeves of your media, which are typically made of paper or thin cardboard.
Tip #2: Box it up properly
As a general rule, keep cassettes and CDs in their original cases. These hard plastic jewel cases protect them from damage in storage. Then, stack them inside a box but not too tightly, since you don't want to force them in and break the cases. Another option is to set a divided media storage unit that is meant to be hung on the wall flat inside of a box. Slip in the cassettes or CDs. The unit will ensure the media isn't crammed into the box too tightly.
Records are best stored in their sleeves inside a record storage box, which is sized appropriately to stand the albums upright and strong enough to resist crushing. You can find these boxes at stores that sell vinyl records. You may want to also slip a piece of acid-free tissue between the record sleeves so the printing doesn't transfer between them.
Tip #3: Prevent dust buildup
Dust can build up on CDs and records, which then translates to scratches if it isn't cleaned off properly before use. As for cassettes, it is impossible to clean them out if dust gets inside. Storing in boxes can go a long way toward preventing dust. To further prevent dust, store in plastic tubs instead of cardboard or line the boxes with plastic bags. This will also serve the purpose of keeping out pests and moisture.
Tip #4: Keep them off the ground
Don't stack the boxes of media on the ground in your storage unit unless you are positive that flooding can't occur. Instead, invest in a shelving unit and place it inside the unit, and then store the boxes on this. An added benefit of shelving is that you also won't be tempted to stack boxes since this could crush the media inside.