Best Pony Conservation Methods?

[MyLittleMillennial]

Let's say you have perfectly mint G1 nirvana pony and you'd like her to stay that way as long as possible. What are some of the best methods for preventing or delaying deterioration? Here's what I've heard of:

- Storing in cool, dry places (obv) away from dust
- Limiting light exposure, especially for fading pink haired ponies
- Replacing metal tail washers with zip ties
- Putting talc powder or silica gel packets inside ponies — would love some thoughts on which works best!
- Wrapping ponies in tissue paper for storage to prevent direct contact with other ponies/surfaces

Any other advice? I live in a tiny apartment so I collect to photograph not display. I'd love to hear thoughts on storage containers as well!

Thanks everyone!

[tailrustedtealeaf]

There have been reports of G3 ponies stored in plastic containers becoming sticky, likely due to the offgassing of the plastic of the container.
Heat, light, humidity are the killers, it sounds like you've got a good number of those already squared away. My ponies get very dusty when on display but I don't think the dust is necessarily harmful, just annoying. If you can keep them out, the airflow may be helpful. But of course, lots of balancing to be done with the heat and humidity exposure.
The colder temperatures the better, also.

[SaraMari]

For my conservation efforts I do the following
. Keep them in Ikea Billy bookcases with doors, there is about a 1cm gap between the doors that allows air flow
. Use a dehumidifier next to my display to keep the humidity at 40% max
. Use a hepa air filter on allergen setting to reduce mold and fungus spores in the air
. Use AC to keep the temp at 75° max
. Put UV blocking window clings over the bookcases glass doors
. Put silica packets under risers, I'm not sure what they will do if touching the pony

For ponies stored away I'd wrap them in acid free white tissue paper (not plastic baggies) and if possible keep the tote lid open a bit

[SunPony]

There have been reports of G3 ponies stored in plastic containers becoming sticky, likely due to the offgassing of the plastic of the container.

YES

[LadyAmalthea]

Keep them away from fluorescent lights. My childhood bedroom and playroom were in our basement, and there was no natural light down there whatsoever, but it was all lit with fluorescent lighting panels in the ceiling. Totally wreaked havoc on my collection; yellowed all the roofs of the playsets and faded all the fading pink ponies' hair to pure white. I know regular daylight will do this quickly enough, but I'm not sure if people know that fluorescent lights have this effect as well.

[Minty_Magic]

For my conservation efforts I do the following
. Keep them in Ikea Billy bookcases with doors, there is about a 1cm gap between the doors that allows air flow
. Use a dehumidifier next to my display to keep the humidity at 40% max
. Use a hepa air filter on allergen setting to reduce mold and fungus spores in the air
. Use AC to keep the temp at 75° max
. Put UV blocking window clings over the bookcases glass doors
. Put silica packets under risers, I'm not sure what they will do if touching the pony

For ponies stored away I'd wrap them in acid free white tissue paper (not plastic baggies) and if possible keep the tote lid open a bit

OMG the blackout cling on the bookcase doors is SUCH a good idea! My collection is currently in billy bookcases with the doors in my bedroom. I always keep UV blocking blinds and curtains on my bedroom window, but I’m going to be moving soon and they’ll be in a room with a sliding glass door out to a patio. I’ve been struggling with how to keep all the light out, since blackout curtains only block so much light, but this may have saved me! Thank you!

[SaraMari]

I'm glad I could be of help Minty_Magic! They have lots of different filtering levels, higher filtering levels are darker/harder to see through. So I choose a mid level one. I also use UV blocking curtains like you!

My pony display is in the dining room and there is a sliding glass door there, literally right next to my bookcases. So I have horizontal fabric shades and the UV blocking curtains over that.

[kingluke]

Well, other then the things you've already listed, I'd keep them away from smokers and pets.
But maybe I'm stating the obvious here.

[slyons]

So is ALL sun light the enemy in a room or just in DIRECT sun light?

[tailrustedtealeaf]

So is ALL sun light the enemy in a room or just in DIRECT sun light?

Direct sunlight is the worst for them. I think any amount of sun can fade hair, but just much much more slowly.

[MyLittleMillennial]

Ooooo these are awesome tips thank you so much! I'll definitely be adding UV film to my windows. Should help with my bookshelves too.

Also I had no idea fluorescent lights could fade like that! Great to know.

Does anyone have an opinion on the best kinds of storage boxes? It feels like a sturdy acid-free paper box (like a fancy shoebox type) might be better than plastic tubs?

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I would say that anything "archival" or "acid-free" is best, but if all you have are Rubbermaid bins, toss some silica packets in there and try not to leave the bin with its lid tightly sealed for months at a time.  And do not keep it anywhere too hot!  or move it between two different storage conditions.