When we moved into our previous apartment one of its biggest perks was a basement where we could shove our seasonal clothes, photos that still needed to be put into books, and unused electronics that were waiting for Craigslist or the local e-cycler. The big drawback of this perk revealed itself after six months -- mold!
After an especially brutal and humid New York summer, knits were covered with the plush, but not so healthy, stuff along with an old computer monitor and speaker stands. A friend in New Jersey had a similar problem, but in her case, something much more tragic happened -- a large majority of her archived photos were damaged.
For any of you who also battle harmful humidity in your home's subterranean rooms, may we suggest Sensaphone WSR-0103 Wireless Humidity Sensor. This white plastic sensor can be placed in any room in your home and will monitor the humidity in that room. It will alert the home base up to 100 feet away, if things are getting sticky icky.
(Image: ezola)
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That's a major bummer.... photos are something I'm always careful with because they're so very irreplaceable. As my mom always says, "Photos like to live where people live." Even if it takes up a little extra of your in-apartment storage space, it's worth it to keep them safe! Keep them in inexpensive, stylish photo boxes from Target or the Container Store, and then you can 'hide' them in plain sight!
Make sure to look for archival safe photo boxes: acid and lignen free. That way if the photos are in contact with the container at all (most people just toss them in the box, no other envelopes or anything) it won't leech and damage the photos over time. They don't have to cost a ton more than your average shoe box, but even a little extra price is worth the protection.
I lived on the gulf coast for ten years---waterfront for much of that time---and I learned too many hard lessons. But I can sum it all in one Rule:
Never, ever put that which you love, that which is irreplaceable, into storage. If you can't bear to lose it, then it must live in the same space you live in.
I have scanned all of my childhood photos, now nothing can happen to them. And it takes up much less space.