Agents of Deterioration
Deterioration happens naturally in most objects - everything wants to return to its original state and that is why iron corrodes, silver tarnishes, and leather rots. However, there are several factors that will speed up this deterioration and cause increased damage to objects. These factors are divided into categories - environmental, natural disasters, biological agents, and human factors.
Environmental - these are factors such as temperature, relative humidity, light, and air pollution. These are the most dangerous factors because they are also the most difficult to control.
Natural Disasters - these are factors such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, and forest fires.
Biological Agents - these generally are vertebrate pests, insects, and micro-organisms (mould). In our area, the most common agents are beetles, moths, silverfish, booklice, mice, bats, and raccoons.
Human Factors - these factors include improper handling, accidents, improper storage, theft, vandalism, and poor facilities maintenance.
By removing these factors or at least reducing them, it is possible to prolong the life of your object. Obviously natural disasters cannot be "removed" but they can be anticipated. This means that if your basement floods every spring, do not store anything of value down there. If there is a tornado warning, move any valuables that may be damaged if a window breaks, etc. There are numerous ways that a bit of prevention can save your heirlooms from damage.
For more information on preserving specific types of objects, please see the Preservation Tips.
