Collection storage/display advice. Mold?

[Keith Courage]

Hey guys, just looking for some input/suggestions on how to display and or store my collection. The reason I am asking is because recently I found that about 5-8% of my US game manuals have begun to get mold on them. Luckily it is just minimal spotting right now that are almost powdery in texture and I've been able to just wipe the manuals off with no ill effects.

Anyways, I've been keeping my games on a shelf. Much like this. https://secure.img1-fg.wfcdn.com/lf/49/hash/97/1691330/1/Slim%2BBarrister%2BTower%2B-%2BOak%2Band%2BBlack.jpg

Because of this my games barely get any air. They are packed tight on the shelf and some of these games haven't even been pulled off of the shelf for the past 2 years. So I assume this didn't help things.

Also, these are not kept in a basement but on the main floor of my house and yes I do have air conditioning that I use. 


So here are the options I am considering.

1. Get some shelves with a much more open design.
2. Space games out much more on current shelf
3. Get plastic jewel case protector sleeves for each case as to keep each one from contaminating one another if indeed the mold could grow.
4. take all the manuals out of my cases and store them in a ziplock bag.
5. buy some CD racks since they are naturally designed to keep cases spaced apart.
6. Try to find some plastic sleeves for the manuals to where I can still have the manuals fit in their cases.
7. Stick to a turbo everdrive and CDRs, then sell off my entire collection to help me get a nicer car. lol

Just curious if anyone else has had to deal with this issue and what solutions others have tried.

[esteban]

Damn, what you are doing now seems like *it should*  be an ideal scenario.

Do you live in an area with high humidity? I do (summers), so I have a dehumidifier for the basement. The water travels in a hose directly to drain, because I would have to pour out the tank constantly, otherwise.

Maybe throw some rice into every case, to absorb a little bit of moisture. Then, put some dry crackers under the couch so the mice don't bother with the rice.

I think your shelving is fine. Just make sure it isn't next to a stove, rice cooker, fish tank.

[Gentlegamer]

Play your games!

[RNSpeed]

Silica gel is also good to control the moisture, but havent seen a bag small enough to fit inside the game case 

[Necromancer]

Sounds like mildew.  If there's a window or outlets nearby, check for drafts that're letting in moist air; remove any houseplants that're in the room; dust regularly so spores have one less place to live; and keep air moving in the room, maybe with a little fan.

You can get a cheap hygrometer to see just how humid it's getting in the room.  If it's high, you might need a dehumidifier, to run the a/c more, or to find where the moisture's coming from if it's inordinately high (higher than the rest of the house or outside air).

[crazydean]

I like option 7, especially with the current prices of games!

[SignOfZeta]

I think the way you store your games is fine, the issue is that you have a house that likes to mold things up for whatever reason. I've stored CDs like that for decades, many times in basements, never had any mold. I don't use little baggies or anything most of the time.

I don't know where you live, the layout of the house, but for some reason spores are taking root on your stuff. Maybe you need to just move the rack somewhere else in the room, maybe a dehumidifier, it's hard to say without knowing your house and climate but it seems impossible that only your games are getting moldy.

And yeah, rotating the collection, possibly to play them, couldn't hurt.

[gex]

5-8% of my US game manuals have begun to get mold on them

Ahhh! That's crazy, It's a good thing you noticed that before they got damaged. But yeah> Mildew, like necro said

[tbone3969]

Option 7.  Just make sure to sell all your games to me at discounted prices. 

[GoldenWheels]

May be a good idea to hit the manuals with something with something that can kill mold. Hate to say bleach but man, mold is so damn hard to actually kill. Maybe some bleach dilution or something? I bleach wipe most NES games I get (because...eww) and the labels have never been hurt (that is they didn't fade, too much moisture of course sucks in).

[johnnykonami]

It's been a while since I pulled some things off my shelf, you're making me wanna check now...

[SignOfZeta]

May be a good idea to hit the manuals with something with something that can kill mold. Hate to say bleach but man, mold is so damn hard to actually kill. Maybe some bleach dilution or something? I bleach wipe most NES games I get (because...eww) and the labels have never been hurt (that is they didn't fade, too much moisture of course sucks in).

This is a shitty idea.

[Dicer]

Unless you live in a swamp or a high humidity area, your manuals should not be getting musty/moldy at all...

If you are living someplace with a ton of moisture in the air, get a dehumidifier.

Otherwise games on a shelf should be just fine, dryer/cooler the area the better.

Also, keep em outta the sun, you'll get fading otherwise.

[GoldenWheels]

May be a good idea to hit the manuals with something with something that can kill mold. Hate to say bleach but man, mold is so damn hard to actually kill. Maybe some bleach dilution or something? I bleach wipe most NES games I get (because...eww) and the labels have never been hurt (that is they didn't fade, too much moisture of course sucks in).

This is a shitty idea.

I did hate to say it! I know it can damage stuff. But man mold is hard to kill, and if you don't it just comes back anyway. Mold is shitty!

EDIT: and when I said "bleach wipe" I mean those premade wipes...they're pretty watered down but still kill germs etc.

[xelement5x]

Dehumidifier sounds like the best approach, but you could also try and get some kind of desiccant like silica gel in those tiny little packs and throw them in each of the cases.  I do this with some of my things, but yeah you must live in a pretty humid area.