Storing and keeping your collecting dust free and safe from the sun

[SwirlyWhirly]

I've recently taken up my MLP collecting again after a long pause and now I'm going to put my collection on display. The last time my collection was on display it was stored on open wall shelves in my old apartment for a few years time. Over that time my poor ponies became dusty, even though I cleaned my apartment regularly. I didn't clean the ponies though, they just stood there untouched. Unpacking them now I found them all to be dirty because of old dust and my show stable is rather yellowed due to sun exposure.

As I'm putting my old collection plus a lot of new items on display I was wondering, what's the ultimate way of storing a MLP collection? Ponies, playsets, accessories. I have three display cabinets to put most of the stuff in but some things, like the Dream Castle, will not fit. You guys who store such things in the open, don't they get dirty and how do you clean them if so?

The room I will be storing the collection in is in the basement and will not be exposed to direct sunlight, although there are small windows in another part of the room. Will things only get yellowed and bleached if exposed to direct sunlight or just for being out in the open?

I've read something about storing MLPs in a even tempered room. What does that mean?

I'm sorry if these questions have been asked before. I'm new to the forum.

[flutterscotch]

I personally treat my much-reduced-from-a-decade-ago collection like seasonal decorations (from 450 to about 100).  They're never out for more than 3 months at a time at the most, and they get gently cleaned and styled if necessary before they get put back into their tote (standing upright because I am soooo tired of wobbly or dented ponies, particularly in the Glory pose).  Then I put them in the closet; depending on the closet I may also throw a blanket over it like my closet now which has a window, until next year.

It helps me appreciate them more because I get excited to pull them out of storage every few months.

I do keep an Applejack and a Butterscotch on display all the time, though.  But they're already so trashed and are just sentimental.

[SaraMari]

I have my collection on display in our dining room, since it can't all fit in my pink room right now. I use Billy bookcases from Ikea with the optional glass doors (I knew I wouldn't want to dust so the extra $$ was worth it to me haha).

For sunlight I have attached UV blocking film to the glass on the doors, also I have a UV blocking curtain over the sliding glass doors immediately to the right (you can see the glare from them) I keep the curtain half way closed.

I don't think temperature is such a problem for vinyl, having it at consistent temperature is best though.  The humidity can do more damage. So I purchased a humidity monitor on Amazon. My house usually doesn't go outside safe levels, but having a dehumidifier nearby is a smart idea. Especially in a basement.

Here's my setup

Spoiler

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You can see the UV blocking film darkens the glass, but the collection can still be seen. Especially up close it makes little difference. I got the second to the lowest strength for the film, but you can get it with very strong protection if there's a lot of light in the room.

[FantasticFirefly]

So yeah. Enemies of PVC are UV, Heat, Humidity and pollutants.

The first purchases I would recommend is an indoor hygrometer for the room the collection is kept, and some light blocking window coverings. I personally also have UV film applied to the window itself then light blocking coverings, but I do understand those who live in rental homes not being able to alter the premises that way- the UV film does not come off easily.

Now, for your query about light. Do remember, the way light will move around the room from windows changes with season, and time of day. We know direct exposure will cause issues, I err on the safe side of just blocking outside light entirely.

For room conditions, the safe handling paper I link to below stated this- "Keep the temperature at or below 20oC and relative humidity 30-50%, suitable conditions for most plastics". Using a indoor hygrometer, you will see where you stand, and you'll know if you need other tools such as an AC if heat is an issue, or a dehumidifier if there is an excess amount of moisture in the air.

oh, and move collections somewhere safe if work is being done to the room, i.e use of strong finishes/painting walls, near or where your collection is being kept.

"safe handling of plastics in a museum environment"
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/11186/mci_WAAC2010-Tsang.pdf


"Care of plastics"
http://cool.conservation-us.org/waac/wn/wn24/wn24-1/wn24-102.html
Also linked, particularly for this reference:
"Exposure of PVC to light (especially ultraviolet radiation) and heat will cause a degradation reaction, called dehydrochlorination, which produces hydrochloric acid and causes the PVC to change color from yellow to brown to black. Manufacturers control this by adding light and heat stabilizers. Unfortunately these stabilizers are consumed as they do their job, until at some time the stabilizers are exhausted, and additional exposure suddenly results in deterioration. Thus a PVC object that has been surviving nicely under lights for several years may suddenly begin rapid deterioration."

Hope this is helpful.

[ashlyne]

I just covered my two windows with near floor-to-ceiling cabinets with sliding doors. These are PAX Wardrobe cabinets from Ikea.  I actually open the doors on rotation so that the ponies can "air out", but they also do a great job keeping dust away.

Spoiler

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I keep these desiccant / dehumidifying eggs scattered throughout to help with any humidity.

Spoiler

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I turn on the ceiling fan on low to circulate the warm heat at the top of the room (I have very tall ceilings in that room)

I also have a small air purifier that I leave running on low full-time right beside the air vent. That way any air coming in through the vent gets purified. 

[SwirlyWhirly]

I personally treat my much-reduced-from-a-decade-ago collection like seasonal decorations (from 450 to about 100).  They're never out for more than 3 months at a time at the most, and they get gently cleaned and styled if necessary before they get put back into their tote (standing upright because I am soooo tired of wobbly or dented ponies, particularly in the Glory pose).  Then I put them in the closet; depending on the closet I may also throw a blanket over it like my closet now which has a window, until next year.

It helps me appreciate them more because I get excited to pull them out of storage every few months.

I do keep an Applejack and a Butterscotch on display all the time, though.  But they're already so trashed and are just sentimental.

That's a different approach to a collection. I like it. Kinda like a Christmas tree. If you had it out all year it wouldn't be as special. 

I have my collection on display in our dining room, since it can't all fit in my pink room right now. I use Billy bookcases from Ikea with the optional glass doors (I knew I wouldn't want to dust so the extra $$ was worth it to me haha).

For sunlight I have attached UV blocking film to the glass on the doors, also I have a UV blocking curtain over the sliding glass doors immediately to the right (you can see the glare from them) I keep the curtain half way closed.

I don't think temperature is such a problem for vinyl, having it at consistent temperature is best though.  The humidity can do more damage. So I purchased a humidity monitor on Amazon. My house usually doesn't go outside safe levels, but having a dehumidifier nearby is a smart idea. Especially in a basement.

Here's my setup

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

You can see the UV blocking film darkens the glass, but the collection can still be seen. Especially up close it makes little difference. I got the second to the lowest strength for the film, but you can get it with very strong protection if there's a lot of light in the room.

The light from the small windows in the basement room never reaches the wall where I will store my ponies thankfully. Humidity on the other hand might be a problem. Right now it's in the 20% range but the entire house goes up to 70% in the summer. Going to have to solve that problem. Thanks for the tip!

So yeah. Enemies of PVC are UV, Heat, Humidity and pollutants.

The first purchases I would recommend is an indoor hygrometer for the room the collection is kept, and some light blocking window coverings. I personally also have UV film applied to the window itself then light blocking coverings, but I do understand those who live in rental homes not being able to alter the premises that way- the UV film does not come off easily.

Now, for your query about light. Do remember, the way light will move around the room from windows changes with season, and time of day. We know direct exposure will cause issues, I err on the safe side of just blocking outside light entirely.

For room conditions, the safe handling paper I link to below stated this- "Keep the temperature at or below 20oC and relative humidity 30-50%, suitable conditions for most plastics". Using a indoor hygrometer, you will see where you stand, and you'll know if you need other tools such as an AC if heat is an issue, or a dehumidifier if there is an excess amount of moisture in the air.

oh, and move collections somewhere safe if work is being done to the room, i.e use of strong finishes/painting walls, near or where your collection is being kept.

"safe handling of plastics in a museum environment"
https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/11186/mci_WAAC2010-Tsang.pdf


"Care of plastics"
http://cool.conservation-us.org/waac/wn/wn24/wn24-1/wn24-102.html
Also linked, particularly for this reference:
"Exposure of PVC to light (especially ultraviolet radiation) and heat will cause a degradation reaction, called dehydrochlorination, which produces hydrochloric acid and causes the PVC to change color from yellow to brown to black. Manufacturers control this by adding light and heat stabilizers. Unfortunately these stabilizers are consumed as they do their job, until at some time the stabilizers are exhausted, and additional exposure suddenly results in deterioration. Thus a PVC object that has been surviving nicely under lights for several years may suddenly begin rapid deterioration."

Hope this is helpful.

Nice collection setup! And thanks for the links! I have to admit after reading about all the dangerous toxins plastic releases I'm now a bit scared of my ponies! And I fear for their survival as well. I'll definitelty protect them from sunlight and try to fix the humidity in the pony room. I'm glad you mentioned moving the ponies if painting walls because I plan to do exactly that and thought I could just move the ponies to another corner of the room. 

I just covered my two windows with near floor-to-ceiling cabinets with sliding doors. These are PAX Wardrobe cabinets from Ikea.  I actually open the doors on rotation so that the ponies can "air out", but they also do a great job keeping dust away.

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login



visitors can't see pics , please register or login

I keep these desiccant / dehumidifying eggs scattered throughout to help with any humidity.

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

I turn on the ceiling fan on low to circulate the warm heat at the top of the room (I have very tall ceilings in that room)

I also have a small air purifier that I leave running on low full-time right beside the air vent. That way any air coming in through the vent gets purified. 

That's a smart storage solution. An air purifier might be something for me. Wow, this is going to be expensive! Getting the humidity and air quality to not damage my collection.



Post Merge: February 23, 2018, 02:33:16 PM

Oh btw Ashlyne, what's Swedish fakie pony wear? I saw you mentioned it in your signature. I have some pony wear I haven't been able to identify and I'm beginning to think it's fakie. Was there a Swedish fakie brand?

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

Everyone's collection photos are  I have light blocking curtains which also help keep the temperature down (don't have central heating or AC). For fighting dust, I rotate my collection from on display to into my walk in closet (small,tiny but it works). Because the area I live in is so dusty and until I can get proper cabinets. Least being in the closet keeps them out of sunlight and dust, as much as can be helped. Seriously, I dust every weekend.

[elish2]

Nice displays everyone. I only have an old display cabinet that was my great grandma's. I have light-blocking curtains, and one area in the cabinet is lined all over with light blocking bags (when I worked at a hospital, one of the pharmacists gave them to me, they are used on light-sensitive IV medications). I keep my fading pink haired ponies and ones prone to color fading on these shelves. I don't have room in my house for a super large collection...I am hoping to buy a bigger house here in the next few years.

[ColdRuru]

Mine are... in my room.
As do live with flatmate, we each have our room as living room too, and a living room who's in fact the library and gaming room.

Sooo... there's next to my bed, in a glass cabinet (who's in fact a kewlox ).
And I don't fear sun because... well I choose the only room oriented north just for my collection, so the room is usually pretty not exposed, and I do only open the curtains when I'm in the room.

I never saw anything happening to anypony, from time to time I rotate some from display to a box under the bed.

[achab1984]

I don't do anything special with mine. I do have light blocking curtains though. And I don't open in the morning when the sun is coming up. Cause if I do it will shine right onto them! They are on open bookcases also. I did have them in my curio cabinets but things still do get dusty in them. Unless they are totally sealed dust will get into anything!

Oh and I love the pictures!

[Elfpony]

Good ideas in this thread.

My ponies have their own room and the door is kept always closed (because one of my giant fluffy cats has a taste for ponies) so that helps keep down the dust. The window has a blackout curtain on it, because I'm paranoid about sun damage, and all the lighting in that room is led to also keep from adding extra heat. In the summer it gets quite hot and humid here, but our house stays fairly comfortable. However, I will close the window in the pony room to keep the humidity out and not go into the room much on very hot days to preserve the temperature. We're actually getting central air put in more for our collections' sake than for our own comfort.

Elf

[Mumzy]

Will florescent lights hurt ponies? My room is dark from sunlight, but has a decent amount of fluorescent lighting. What kind of light bulbs are best?
After reading this I may check the humidity of my room!

[lockette]

I've lived in my current place for a year now and my Collecting Resolution this year is to do a lot of maintenance, housekeeping, organizing, etc for my collection.

my bedroom is the only option to keep my collection in, but I have two windows (same side of the room) that get direct sunlight all day. I really really like getting that natural light so I don't want heavy curtains, but I fret about my ponies. this is my setup- the windows are to the right, so even though the sunlight doesn't hit the shelves DIRECTLY, there's enough strong summer sun that it surely bounces off the walls :\

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so I'm seriously considering UV film for my windows. I thought about putting it on the glass fronts of the shelves, but if it ends up darkening the look of the glass or not being crystal-clear, it will really bug me. I'd rather put it on my windows-- I have other toys and such around my room so it wouldn't be a bad idea to protect everything. as it stands, I usually leave the blinds down unless I am in my room for a while and need some light in there.  after dark I usually only use my bedside lamp instead of the overhead one.

the humidity though... this is the first place I've lived in my 32 years that didn't have central AC.  I really hate July and August weather (I live in Pittsburgh), but I can usually cope with some fans running.  but I spent all last summer worrying about the humidity and my ponies.  I should have bought a window AC unit last year when I had extra money but didn't get to it. :\ 

I definitely am going to get a dehumidifier this year as well as something like those desiccate like @ashlyne posted about.

[gabumon]

I rotate my collection from an open bookcase to storage bins every few months.

If you seem to be getting more than expected dust you may want to check your heater/AC vents and the replaceable air filter near the blower motor.  You could have a dirty filter or debris in your ductwork.  This caused problems for my ponies but also in the bigger picture it can cause human health issues too.  Worth a check even if you just rent your place.

i like the idea of those dessicant eggs!  I keep the little pouches of it in with (BUT NOT TOUCHING) ponies in  my pony storage bins.

[cookifaa]

I don't particularly do anything special with mine. They're in an open bookcase that actually faces my window. Although my window looks out on another house so there isn't really any sunlight at all. Instead of a normal light-bulb, I have a colour changing bulb that i can choose the setting. I have it on the white light setting because it isn't harsh at all. My light is always on and my curtains are always open and as of yet (touch wood) I haven't had any ponies discolour on me