The following instructions are to assist collectors, not only or Rainbow Brite items, but any collectibles they want to preserve. These are just guidelines, not rules. You may or may not find these helpful.
Preservation Guidelines
Rainbow Brite items are colorful and happy images that bring a smile to your face, as do colors in general. As we get older we want to preserve our childhood memories not only for ourselves, but also for our own children and loved ones. Hopefully this guide will help you in doing this.
There are a few regular rules that will apply to just about any item you wish to preserve, not only prints, but fabrics, etc. Please keep these in mind when creating your displays.
1: Colors fade over time. It is best NOT to display your items to prolonged bright light, sunlight or florescent lighting.
If you have them in a room, keep the drapes drawn, or use “Ultraviolet shields” on your windows, and keep your lights off when you do not need them.
If you have a collection you want to display, but do not want to darken a whole room, use a cabinet with doors or curtains to cover your items so they do not fade. This also assists in minimizing dust on your items.
2: Heat and humidity can cause paper, fabrics and other items to rot. Keep your temperatures in your homes or display spaces cool, and dry. In the case of plastics, prolonged heat can cause them to yellow and become brittle.
3: Avoid chemicals or other things that could promote damage. Do not use wood boxes, these can be chemically treated woods which can cause your items to decay.
4: Light can also make paper degrade or fade. When displaying posters, or other arts make color photo copies and keep the originals stored out of light. If you want to frame the originals, please use UV glass or plexiglass, which are resistant to UV light and will help prevent fading. Make sure you use a padding thick enough when framing so that the images to not touch the glass. This will reduce damage and prevent the image from sticking to the glass over time.
Do NOT do the following:
Fold pictures
Laminate pictures
Stack books or store items pressed together.
Storage Tips
If you store your items in a storage space, be mindful of what you store things in.
1: What kind of material to store things in: Look for “low-acid” boxes. If you are going to store in plastic, either baggies or in boxes look for Mylar Type D or Polyethylene. No not use PVC or PVA plastics, these will degrade over time. Keep boxes off the ground.
2: Where to store items: Do not store in an attic or basement. Attics and basements are rarely insulated, so your items are exposed to extreme heat and cold temperatures, moisture, and in the dark this can promote mold, foxing (brown spots) on your items. In the case of basements, they can also be subject to possible flooding.
It is best to store your items in a centrally located area in the middle of your home or inside a closet.
The walls inside your home aren't as exposed to moisture or humidity as the outside walls and don't get as hot or cold as the outer walls of your home would. A closet in your home, bedroom or office would be a great place to store or even display your items. Do not sit items on the floor. Keep them up on something, either a shelf or small platform.
Keep items away from windows, pipes, air conditioners or any source of moisture. To minimize moisture, place packets of “Silica gel” inside any containers you use. You may want to consider using a dehumidifier in the room you would like to store in.
Hopefully you have found these basic ideas helpful with storing or displaying items. Please look for more instructions on how to store your items based on where you live. Check with your local library or museums to see what they do based on your geographic location.
We will be going over more specific things soon.
Until then, have a Rainbow Day!