Cedar chest okay for storage?

arsweb

arsweb

chocolate bag addict
O.G.
Jul 25, 2008
1,109
0
#1
I just got a cedar hope chest (vintage Lane) for my bedroom and I was thinking it would be a great place to store some of my accessories and small bags. It even has a tray I could put my key fobs, scarves, and mini skinnies on.

Does anyone else store their Coach in a cedar chest? I'm just wondering would the cedar damage the leather in any way? Even though the chest is old, it does still smell like cedar on the inside, and these items will be closed up in the chest (bags in dustbags, of course, and accessories on felt).
 
#2
I would wrap them in tissue and then the dustbags just in case. If the chest ever stops smelling of cedar simply take a small block with sandpaper and lightly sand. It will freshen the scent.
 
#3
I keep my coach bags in a cedar chest in my bedroom for about 3 years now. They don't seem to smell like cedar or do any damage to the leather. I also keep my dust bags on all my purses when I am storing them.
 
#4
Okay, good! I was worried it might cause some kind of reaction in the leather or make the brass oxidize. I'm just paranoid about my bags, LOL.
 
#6
While scientifically I have no backing for this, I do know that a cedar chest helps to regulate humidity for the items it contains, as well as keep bugs away. That is part of the reason they are used to store important items. If anything, that would help protect the hardware from oxidizing. As long as the smell doesn't bother you (and a pp said it did not even permeate the bags and they still smelled of leather), I think it is an excellent place to store bags and accessories.
 
#7
In my opinion, a cedar chest doesn't have enough air in it for leather to breathe. I'm currently trying to get rid of my cedar chest because everything I ever stored in it smells awful. Cedar chests are for wool, not leather.
Even when I put my purses in my closet I make sure that air can circulate around them. I don't even store mine in cardboard boxes. Just dustbags.
 
#9
oopsididitagain said:
in my opinion, a cedar chest doesn't have enough air in it for leather to breathe. I'm currently trying to get rid of my cedar chest because everything i ever stored in it smells awful. Cedar chests are for wool, not leather.
Even when i put my purses in my closet i make sure that air can circulate around them. I don't even store mine in cardboard boxes. Just dustbags.
Click to expand...


ita!!
 
#11
I mentioned that cedar chests are for wool, well, I don't even think they do a good job for that. I opened my cedar chest in the summer one time and little worms were eating up my favorite German wool sweater that my brother gave to me. I caught them in the act! I was dumbfounded because I thought cedar repelled them. Now I store my woolens (after they've been cleaned) in paper sacks that are stapled shut. It really works and keeps the moths away! They won't eat through the paper. So my cedar chest is redundant.
 
#14
oopsididitagain said:
I'm currently trying to get rid of my cedar chest because everything I ever stored in it smells awful. Cedar chests are for wool, not leather.
Click to expand...

i grew up with my mother's cedar chest that she had since she was a young girl..... EVERYTHING in there STUNK to high heaven when you took it out..... it had to be aired for days..... i would never store my purses in one!
 
#15
I'm a librarian, with some background in preservation, and I can say without reservation that storing leather in any kind of wood is BAD for the leather--all the acids in wood that eat through paper leach into leather, as well, and cause much more rapid disintegration--brittleness, crocking, cracking, stiffness. I would recommend storing your bags in dustbags on a metal shelving unit and getting those bags OUT of that cedar chest ASAP.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back