By Khola Malik

Items that seem unimportant and worthless to one person, can be the most precious property to someone else! It doesn’t have anything to do with the financial value. Its all about the memories, your family heritage and the emotional attachments that would make loosing a keepsake heartbreaking. I’ve heard of people being mad at someone else a whole lifetime for throwing out a treasured “memory trigger” of a family! You can keep these items safe!!

But are you well prepared to protect or save them even in disasters?

Being prepared for a disaster is your best bet to lessen the impact and intensity of damage or loss.

So, organize and prepare in order to save your property… and there is authoritative help and advice from THE expert!

Organizing Original Family History Items and Heirlooms

The first step towards saving your family history items and heirlooms is to organize them. It will also help you to remember what is important to you and your family. It is possible that what was important to you when you were just married, is different now that you are 20 years older.

High humidity, heat… or cold or storms can cause serious damage if they are stored wrong/badly. So, take great care to be aware of the light exposure, temperature fluxuations, dust, pests, humidity/potential for water, etc.,

Care and maintenance of antiques and collectibles can ensure a longer life… in fact, don’t you want them to last for generations?!

Sort the items: But remember, what is not very important to you, may be super valuable to children as they get older or to a sibling. That caution doesn’t translate into a suggestion to begin hording. Sort them into separate boxes and tag them… but don’t write on the item itself! You could cause big problems.

They can be saved according to the type of material (ceramics or photos) or according to the event or person too.

Photos and papers: They need a lot of care. Newsprint or acidic paper can destroy your valuables, so they should be copied, discarded or kept separate. Supplies to neutralize the acids and make them archival can also be purchased.

China and other collectibles: Must be wrapped as you box them. Newspapers (very acidic!) are the worse papers but if that is all you have for packing ceramics, glass and other non-porous items then its better than nothing. You can purchase archival packing tissue.

Art pieces: Art conservators recommend exposing valuable, important or sensitive art on paper (watercolors, woodblock prints, dyed items) for only six months at a time in as low of light as you can stand. Rotate them with other items to extend their life. You can also get UV filtering glass in the framing that will help. as it will offer a great exposure of light and dust to it. For the other six months, they can be put in storage for longer life.

Fabric: Wrap your fabric-made items in muslin and avoid contact with other materials and dyed items. Keep clean fabrics in use, such as wedding dresses or uniforms, hang them in an airy place after each use.

Military or scout meddles: Don’t showcase them in boxes with woolen back or base as they contain sulfur that can easily damage/tarnish them. Also, showcase in less light exposure places as ribbons fade. Signatures on certificates often fade if hung on the wall with a lot of light.

Emergency Preparedness Collectibles

Collectibles are loved for the monetary, cultural, artistic, and, most importantly, sentimental value. So, the need is to organize them and prepare them so that you can rescue them in case of an emergency is good energy.

Of course, the first and foremost step in any disaster or emergency would be saving lives. 

But if you are well prepared for any emergency, you can save your precious most property more effectively without much loss.

• Earthquake Preparedness for Collectibles

Placing your collectibles in a safe and secure box is a practical idea that can help in earthquakes and many other disasters. But don’t put your box of breakables on the top shelf from where it can fall.

Place them in a cabinet or safe where there is less chance of other objects falling on them like mirrors, planters, or glass doors. Will it fit and be safe under your bed?

Switching off the utilities (gas, electricity, etc.) can also save your home and collectibles from other hazards during earthquakes.

• Hurricane Preparedness for Collectibles

Protecting collectibles from storm damage or hurricanes seems complicated, but again, preparedness can save a lot. Most homes get shaken, like an earthquake, but potential water is an additional problem.

Keep your collectibles, essential documents in a waterproof and fireproof safe. Make copies and keep them on the cloud or at another location.

Draw a map of your house to reach the things after the storm.

Keep the phone numbers handy of local emergency management and the insurance company. And what about your pets?

Don’t keep essential collectibles in the basement or attic (where water gathers or it gets too hot!).

Do you still need some more practical ideas on How To Save Your Stuff From A Disaster?

On Amazon, get your guidebook to have complete instructions on preserving and saving your family history, heirlooms, and collectibles easily and economically.

This purchase of the most popular preservation manual for home use also includes continuing education preservation tips via email (requires separate registration but is free).

This article was syndicated and Frankie Boyer Talk Radio Show in Boston, Mass  interviewed Scott M. Haskins, Author of How To Save Your Stuff From A Disaster about “How can something be priceless when its not worth anything? What is worth saving and protecting of our ‘stuff?'” More info on this at https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/facl-in-the-media/frankie-boyer-talk-radio-interview-boston-mass/ #FrankieBoyerTalkRadio #ExpertClick #ExpertTalker #Talkers #ScottMHaskins #KholaMalik

Keywords

Emergency Preparedness Collectibles

Care and Restoration of Antiques and Collectibles

Organizing Original Family History Items and Heirlooms

Earthquake Preparedness for Collectibles

Hurricane Preparedness for Collectibles

Protecting Collectibles from Storm Damage

House and home cleaning, caretaking and organizing

Antiques and collectibles care and restoration