Cold storage

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Description

A pest mitigation method in which articles are refrigerated (about 4C or 40F) for lengthy periods of time. Cold storage does not kill moth or beetle larvae, but does prevent damage from the pests due to inactivity at the cold temperatures. Prior to wide-spread air conditioning, cold storage was commonly used commercially during the summer months for storing coats, furs, carpets, blankets, upholstered furniture, and stuffed animal heads.

Cold storage is also used to slow the degradation process of some types of plastics, especially natural rubbers and cellulose nitrates.

Images

Resources and Citations

  • Mary-Lou Florian, Dale Paul Kronkright, Ruth E. Norton, The Conservation of Artifacts Made from Plant Materials, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 1990
  • E.A. Back, 'Clothes Moths and Their Control', Farmers' Bulletin, No. 1353, U.S.Department of Agriculture, 1932.