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I went into this hoping for a solution to my “how do I store all of my random stuff from having lots of projects and interested”, and while I enjoyed the articl

I went into this hoping for a solution to my “how do I store all of my random stuff from having lots of projects and interested”, and while I enjoyed the article, I am shocked to report that my question was not answered. Strange to imagine that I don’t have the exact same needs as archivists.

AstroJetson 2y ago
Me too. But I will pass on that transparent packing (boxes, bags, etc) is the way to go. I’ll pack smaller items in zip lock bags (they come in sizes from “snack” to 4 gallon) then they go in transparent boxes. It’s amazing that being able to see into makes finding thing so much faster. I’ve also found that hanging jewelry bags are awesome for parts storage in a closet. Good luck on your journey.
- _VX3r 2y ago
  Depends on what you are packaging. I have learned that books shouldn’t be packaged in plastic since they need to ‘breath’
  - freosam 2y ago
    True. Although the ziploc bags can just be left a bit open, that's quite sufficient. The good thing about food-safe bags is that they're usually polypropylene and so good for archival use (and much cheaper than anything from a preservation-supplies shop).
    - ninalanyon 2y ago
      > food-safe bags is that they're usually polypropylene Interesting. I've just checked the biggest grocery site in Norway (oda.com) and two out of the three bags they sell were low density polythene, the third was polypropylene. Not a big sample I'll admit. I'm pretty sure that the very thin bags provided in supermarkets here for fresh loose produce are also polythene.
      - freosam 2y ago
        Oh right, I've never seen polythene resealable ones here in Australia. (The floppier 'freezer bags' are I think, but they're less useful for archiving.) I think it's mainly PVC that's to be avoided for archiving, and office supply shops are full of the stuff (document sleeves, etc.). An archivist once told me that if you burn a bit of plastic and it doesn't give off any smoke then it's likely polypropylene or similar, and so good to use. That's never felt like a particularly robust test though (but I'm not a chemist).
- tomjen3 2y ago
  The article specifically says not to do that, as traps moisture.
  - creer 2y ago
    > moisture Exactly. So are there breathable dust-proof ziplock bag equivalents? At a reasonable price? And I find one obvious direction: produce bags. 10" square, 25c each.
mattlondon 2y ago
Recently I had this question myself when trying to organise DIY materials and spare parts (for which I have a lot somehow). I ended up buying modular "Ivar" shelves from IKEA where shelves can be positioned every 2 cm or so as you need them, and you buy as many or as few shelves and uprights as you need. I got about twenty ~25 litre clear plastic storage boxes (with lids! Very important to prevent dust etc) and set the shelf height to suit those. Things are roughly grouped into boxes with a big label on the outside ("screws", "adhesives", "electrical" etc). I built a small ~1.25x0.5m worktop at hip-height next to the shelves so when I pull out a box I have somewhere right there to put it and reach in to get things (otherwise you need to put it on the floor which is a pain). Below the worktop I have some metal drawers that I use for hand tool storage. Finally I have a small plastic open tote toolbox with a handle so I can load that up with bits and pieces and hand tools etc when I am at the shelves/mothership, and easily carry them to wherever I need them. The wooden shelves are handy as you can cut and modify them very easily so you can trivially customise them to the space you have. They're fairly sturdy when assembled and attached to a wall. Not very sophisticated really but seems to be working well so far. Previously I was hunting through random cardboard boxes or bags ("I know I've got a foobar whatsit here somewhere!"), typically stacked on top of each other. I think not having things stacked has been the most useful thing - i.e. if you need box X, you just pull it out right away and don't have to unstack 4 precariously-balanced other boxes first only to find that the thing you thought was in the box at the bottom actually was not there and now you need to stack everything back up again then look in another battered Amazon cardboard box in another half-collapsed tower of boxes etc. Good luck.
- larsrc 2y ago
  Good system! Clear plastic boxes and labels are essential. For projects in progress, I have started using ziplock bags that I label, so I don't have small collections of stuff constituting a project lying all over.
  - datadrivenangel 2y ago
    Get a couple of stacking plastic tubs, and use them for in-progress projects!
internet101010 2y ago
It really depends. For anything involving paper or metal the answer is mylar. Keep things out of direct sunlight at 70F and 30-50% humidity.

AstroJetson 2y ago

Me too. But I will pass on that transparent packing (boxes, bags, etc) is the way to go. I’ll pack smaller items in zip lock bags (they come in sizes from “snack” to 4 gallon) then they go in transparent boxes. It’s amazing that being able to see into makes finding thing so much faster. I’ve also found that hanging jewelry bags are awesome for parts storage in a closet. Good luck on your journey.

_VX3r 2y ago
Depends on what you are packaging. I have learned that books shouldn’t be packaged in plastic since they need to ‘breath’
- freosam 2y ago
  True. Although the ziploc bags can just be left a bit open, that's quite sufficient. The good thing about food-safe bags is that they're usually polypropylene and so good for archival use (and much cheaper than anything from a preservation-supplies shop).
  - ninalanyon 2y ago
    > food-safe bags is that they're usually polypropylene Interesting. I've just checked the biggest grocery site in Norway (oda.com) and two out of the three bags they sell were low density polythene, the third was polypropylene. Not a big sample I'll admit. I'm pretty sure that the very thin bags provided in supermarkets here for fresh loose produce are also polythene.
    - freosam 2y ago
      Oh right, I've never seen polythene resealable ones here in Australia. (The floppier 'freezer bags' are I think, but they're less useful for archiving.) I think it's mainly PVC that's to be avoided for archiving, and office supply shops are full of the stuff (document sleeves, etc.). An archivist once told me that if you burn a bit of plastic and it doesn't give off any smoke then it's likely polypropylene or similar, and so good to use. That's never felt like a particularly robust test though (but I'm not a chemist).
tomjen3 2y ago
The article specifically says not to do that, as traps moisture.
- creer 2y ago
  > moisture Exactly. So are there breathable dust-proof ziplock bag equivalents? At a reasonable price? And I find one obvious direction: produce bags. 10" square, 25c each.

mattlondon 2y ago

Recently I had this question myself when trying to organise DIY materials and spare parts (for which I have a lot somehow). I ended up buying modular "Ivar" shelves from IKEA where shelves can be positioned every 2 cm or so as you need them, and you buy as many or as few shelves and uprights as you need. I got about twenty ~25 litre clear plastic storage boxes (with lids! Very important to prevent dust etc) and set the shelf height to suit those. Things are roughly grouped into boxes with a big label on the outside ("screws", "adhesives", "electrical" etc). I built a small ~1.25x0.5m worktop at hip-height next to the shelves so when I pull out a box I have somewhere right there to put it and reach in to get things (otherwise you need to put it on the floor which is a pain). Below the worktop I have some metal drawers that I use for hand tool storage. Finally I have a small plastic open tote toolbox with a handle so I can load that up with bits and pieces and hand tools etc when I am at the shelves/mothership, and easily carry them to wherever I need them. The wooden shelves are handy as you can cut and modify them very easily so you can trivially customise them to the space you have. They're fairly sturdy when assembled and attached to a wall. Not very sophisticated really but seems to be working well so far. Previously I was hunting through random cardboard boxes or bags ("I know I've got a foobar whatsit here somewhere!"), typically stacked on top of each other. I think not having things stacked has been the most useful thing - i.e. if you need box X, you just pull it out right away and don't have to unstack 4 precariously-balanced other boxes first only to find that the thing you thought was in the box at the bottom actually was not there and now you need to stack everything back up again then look in another battered Amazon cardboard box in another half-collapsed tower of boxes etc. Good luck.

larsrc 2y ago
Good system! Clear plastic boxes and labels are essential. For projects in progress, I have started using ziplock bags that I label, so I don't have small collections of stuff constituting a project lying all over.
- datadrivenangel 2y ago
  Get a couple of stacking plastic tubs, and use them for in-progress projects!

internet101010 2y ago

It really depends. For anything involving paper or metal the answer is mylar. Keep things out of direct sunlight at 70F and 30-50% humidity.