What are Preservation & Archival Products?

Preservation Products: The most important factor in textile preservation is providing a stable environment for the textile to age in. All materials that come in contact with the textile must be acid free and very stable. Museums recognize only archival quality paper and boxes as a way to provide reliable long term storage. Archival Products are specifically designed to provide this environment. They are produced with no acidic content which can deteriorate the textile over time. Proper Textile Management requires periodic access to the material in order to inspect and adjust the garment. Therefore it should be easy to open the box to perform these functions. Proper folding of the textile, using archival buffered or unbuffered tissue is necessary to ensure that major folds are layered and protected. Textiles also need to have good air circulation in order to age evenly and avoid moisture buildup, which can lead to mildew. Some companies promote sealed containers as a method of preservation. Sealing the container makes it difficult or impossible to inspect the garment. Worse yet, the plastic often gives off gasses that may accelerate textile deterioration. Sealed containers can often trap moisture inside allowing mildew to grow. They also restrict air circulation which can lead to uneven aging of the textile. This "preservation" method does not offer a reliable long term environment for textile. National Gown Cleaners provides Archival Products that meet stringent specifications. We provide the same archival products that museums and private textile conservators use to protect the finest textiles. We offer archival boxes that are both lignin free, and acid free throughout. The boxes are never sealed which allows easy access to the textile to perform periodic inspections and refolding. The lids are snug, but allow proper air circulation to occur. All our products have been extensively researched by textile conservators and we can provide complete specifications for them.

Archival Products

Wedding Dress Preservation Boxes:

While there are several boxes to choose from in most cases we suggest using a Coroplast® Polyethylene Corrugated box. This box is rigid, heat resistant, made of chemically stable copolymer of 90% polypropylene and 10% polyethylene, and ideally suited for archival storage. Coroplast® boxes are washable, heat and corrosion resistant and will not absorb grease, oil or acids. Coroplast® does not contain UV inhibitors and is not recommended for areas with UV exposure. There are several types of boxes used in textile conservation and below are a few to consider.

Multi Purpose & Polyester Textile Storage Box: Two-piece boxes of 60 point acid/lignin-free (8.5 pH) blue-grey board with fully telescoping lids and metal reinforced edges provide strong support and protection during storage, even when stacked. Board has a white acid-free inner liner of heavyweight paper stock.The outer layer of these boxes is buffered to prevent acid migration, and the interior lining paper which is in direct contact with the textile is neutral pH, smooth white paper. Of course, there is no lignin nor any sulphur present in the box.

Intercept Textile Boxes for Historical or High Value Textiles: Store your costumes and textiles with even greater protection in our boxes made with this unique board that integrates our museum quality archival board with corrosion intercept liner.Specially formulated to neutralize corrosive gases, reactive gases and pollutants, Intercept lining also cleanses the trapped air around the items, as well as the pollutants that may be slowly released from the items themselves. Intercept Textile boxes with deep lids are available in dark grey or light grey.Silk Wedding Dress Preservation BoxPolypropylene Full Lid Boxes

Unbuffered boxes for Silk and Wool Fabrics: Standard Box Sizes: 30X18X6, 30X24X6, 30X24X6, 40X18X6*Call for current prices

Hat Boxes (Top): These boxes are made with blue-grey board and are designed square with a 2-1/2" removable lid.13 ½ W x 13 ½ L x 12 ½ H Blue-Grey

Veil Boxes (Bottom): These boxes are made from 60 point blue-grey buffered or tan acid/lignin-free buffered (pH 8.5) board with metal reinforced edges for extra strength during handling, storage and stacking.20 W x 16 L x 3 ½ H Blue-Grey

Non-Buffered Tissue: A high-quality, unbuffered, archival tissue paper for interleaving and wrapping. It is safe for all fabrics, acid-and lignin-free, and ideal for padding between the folds without hard edges. This paper is lightweight and is neutral pH, is lignin- and sulphur-free. Un-buffered tissue should be used with items made out of animal based materials, such as silk, wool, leather, or whenever fiber content is unknown.Sizes: 20” x "30" or 30” x 40”Buffered Tissue:This paper is best used with textiles like cotton, linen or jute. It’s also a good choice when wrapping or cushioning many artifacts, or storing papers, manuscripts, and magazines. Soft pure fibers help prevent acid migration, scuffing or breakage, and color transfer during storage and handling.Sizes: 20” x 30" or 30”x 40”*other sizes can be ordered

Archival Intercept Sheets: We use 6-mil, high density polyethylene Intercept Sheets. These help protect against degradation caused by ozone gases, mold & mildew and UV light. Sheets may be inserted into archival quality boxes to protect the contents against atmospheric induced degradation. This is a new patented product which uses semi-conductor technology to turn common plastics into a protective reaction barrier.This barrier minimizes detrimental effects of oxidizing gasses like ozone, carbonyl sulfide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen chloride and nitrogen dioxide, which exist in every environment. It works by neutralizing the oxidizing gasses. It also acts as a fungicide and bactericide. Results of the DuPont and AT&T Bell Labs tests indicate this product will protect precious contents for at least several decades.

Cotton Researcher Gloves: These white cotton gloves are a must for everyone handing your garment or collection, as they protect against dirt and oils from transferring to the textile.Sizes: Small & Large

100% Cotton Muslin Garment Bags: Cotton muslin is non-acidic and protects your costume collection from light, humidity, and environmental contaminants. These bags are made to fit most costumes and bridal gowns. Designed with overlapping fronts to protect dust from entering into the bag and cotton strings on front to tie bag closed. Choose from a wide selection of sizes and styles to fit your needs. We do not suggest using a hanging position for long term storage. A box form of storage is always preferred whenever possible.

Dehumidifier: This desiccant uses a highly porous form of amorphous silica to reduce the humidity of air surrounding your stored textile or encased objects. It is self indicating and changes color when exhausted.The indicator will turn from blue to pink when it needs to be recharged. Recharging is easy, simply dry it in the oven. It will remain dry to touch even when it is saturated.

Humidity Indicator Cards: These indicator cards provide a simple an inexpensive way to track humidity in small rooms, archival storage areas, display cases.It responds to the current moisture in the air using chemical squares which change color from blue to lavender based on moisture levels in the air.