When it comes to keeping cash or important documents like your birth certificate, marriage license, and passport secure, nothing beats a fireproof safe. You can use one to store everything from rare collectibles to old photographs and negatives, making them useful to have at home in more ways than one.
Safes help protect valuables from would-be intruders, but they may also keep items from getting seriously damaged—or worse, outright destroyed—in the event of a major fire, flood, or accident. For most, there’s a real peace of mind that comes from knowing one’s most cherished belongings are locked inside a seemingly impenetrable box that only they have access to.
But what if one of the biggest potential threats to those valuables was actually coming from within the safe itself? Though it might seem unlikely, fireproof safes can become the perfect breeding ground for mold buildup over time. Here’s why it happens—plus what to do to safeguard your stuff.
Why Does Mold Grow in Safes?
Mold can mushroom inside your house just as easily as it can outdoors, and it spreads via microscopic spores. Typically, growth occurs once mold spores make contact with a damp surface. If there’s moisture and readily available food sources (such as paper, wood, leather, and other organic materials), mold spores tend to make themselves right at home, regardless of whether you invited them.
Extended exposure to heat can also play a factor in mold growth, as can the environment. Part of what makes a fireproof safe such a hotbed for mold activity is that they’re dark, airtight containers, meaning they tend to trap in air and moisture, which eventually leads to condensation. Air doesn’t circulate inside these insulated boxes, either, which only adds to the problem.
Apart from condensation forming from humid air, moisture could be getting into your safe in a few other ways. It could potentially happen if your lockbox has any cracks or has had prolonged exposure to water (like during a flood). Moisture-retaining items, such as cash, could also be the culprit.
The paper used for currency in the U.S. isn’t exactly paper, which is part of why bills can be at risk. The substrate, as it’s also known, is made up of 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen materials. Though linen tends to dry quickly and wick away humidity, cotton is regarded as highly absorbent; the material also dries slowly and generally retains a lot of moisture, which is potentially why bills can get moldy.
How to Prevent Mold in Safes
It’s easy to place something valuable inside a safe and completely forget about it. But you won’t easily forget about the damage done to those items after a full-scale mold colony has had its way with them.
Mold can cause a variety of problems, from discoloration to full-scale deterioration, depending on the item. If you have coins, metal jewelry, or firearms stashed inside, mold could tarnish their overall look and lead to rust. It can obscure the legibility of paper currency, potentially rendering it unusable. Mold also produces allergens, which could trigger sneezing and other allergic reactions in those who breathe in spores or make direct contact with contaminated materials.
To keep mold from growing, consider leaving your safe open for about 20 minutes once every two weeks. The steady flow of air and possible exposure to sunlight could kill off any spores hiding inside. If that’s not an option, consider sticking your valuables in a sealed, airtight container before placing them inside your home safe. This could prevent moisture from building up, thus making it tough for mold to really catch hold and grow, especially if you’ve also positioned your safe in a dry, secure area.
Another option is to place desiccants—such as baking soda, rice, silica gel, charcoal pouches, or even fresh cat litter—in a safe alongside your valuables. These things work to absorb trapped moisture and may keep musty odors (another mold-related risk with fireproof safes) at bay. For optimal effectiveness, just remember to change desiccants out every six months or so. A dehumidifier might also come in handy, particularly if you live in a very humid part of the world.
The Best Way to Clean a Moldy Safe
If you open your safe only to discover that it’s musty-smelling and full of mold, then you should immediately remove everything inside and let it air out until it’s completely dry.
Once dry, thoroughly clean the inside of it using bleach. If your valuables look contaminated, then you should gently clean them, as well. You may have to consider taking your items to a professional cleaner or document restoration service for a deeper clean.
For moldy money, don’t even bother doing any of the cleaning yourself—it will probably just cause further damage and potentially spread mold spores around. Banks have protocols in place for dealing with contaminated currency and are better equipped to handle the problem, so just take that cash to a local bank and swap out the moldy bills for fresh ones. The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing also exchanges damaged bills for free via its Mutilated Currency Redemption Division, though you have to formally submit a request to have your cash examined, which means the whole process might take a lot longer.
But overall, the best way to prevent mold from growing inside of your safe is to keep it dry and regularly aerate it. Otherwise, you run the risk of exposing your valuables to unnecessary damage, which could end up being far more costly and stressful than you ever expected.
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