Learn How To Protect Your Prized Possessions

Your home may not be a museum, but you can still learn a few curator tricks to prolong the life of your family's heirlooms and collectibles.

“Everything you love and own will eventually fall apart,” said Jennifer Guest, an interpretive naturalist for the Forest PreserveDistrict of Will County. “It doesn’t matter how sturdy, big or well-made it is, the item will eventually start to degrade over time.”

But there are ways to keep your items in tip-top shape for decades to come, and many of these tips will be shared during a “Saving Your Prized Possessions” program from 7-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 27, at Isle a la Cache Museum. Registration is required by Sunday, Aug. 25; call 815-886-1467.

“If you handle and store your prized possessions with care, this aging process will dramatically slow down,” Guest said.

Prized possessions can be anything from your grandmother’s antique chair to your child’s macaroni art or sports collections.

“This program will help you understand what factors cause damage,” Guest said. “Participants also will learn how to display or store the items to keep them intact.”

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For instance, Guest said some people think a cedar chest will protect their possessions, but the cedar could be doing more harm than good.

“Wood can have an acidic quality that causes items to discolor or break down,” she explained. “The great cedar smell comes from the aromatic oils. Those same oils can leave stains on your precious possessions.”

One solution is to line the cedar chest with unbleached muslin cloth or acid-free paper, Guest advised. And you can also create a barrier with acid-free paper so the items aren't touching.

"If items are touching, that can cause damage too," she said.

Those are just a few of the tips that will be passed along during the program.

“Program participants will learn both high quality preservation tactics as well as easy, economical solutions to help their prized possessions survive,” Guest said.