cedar chest
 

my mother had to go to home. us girls are cleaning out her house and putting it up for sale. i have received a cedar
chest. i was wondering do i dare store material in it? thanks for the info jo

only if the fabric is enclosed in an acid free packaging of some sort- the cedar will stain/leech onto the fabrics with time.
you can buy acid free storage boxes, or even acid free tissue paper- or line the cedar chest with some suitable product.
you can get clear storage (bags) that are suitable that you could put the fabric in first (like the bags that slide under the bed that hold blankets & sweaters) just don't put fabric against the wood.

thanks for the info . that is what i will do.

I would use it, but I would store the fabric in expensive cotton pillow covers.

Acid-free tissue paper and boxes are pretty expensive.

I store fabric in hard plastic boxes, but I would hesitate to store it for long periods of time in soft clear plastic bags, as some of them outgas chemicals that eat fabric (plus it's easier for moisture to remain in them, and trapped moisture would cause mold in the fabric -- which is impossible to get out later).

I really think cotton pillowcases are the safest and least expensive way to go. Alternatively, you could make a cloth lining for the cedar chest.

The big thing is that you do not want to store fabric in direct contact with wood. The acids in wood (and in wood products such as cardboard, paper) will gradually eat into the fabric and cause it to stain and deteriorate.

Be sure to open the chest at least once every 4 months and leave open for 24 hrs. Your fabric needs to breath. DO NOT seal in plastic. Other wise it is a good place to put fabric

Just emptied my 93 yr old friends home. In the cedar chest in the attic were her baby clothes, dolls, and two old quilts.... all in tissue paper and cardboard boxes....... All in good condition. Also there was a bag or two of cedar shavings!

I wish I could have a cedar chest. But I am allergic to cedar. :(

I have my grandmas and mothers. I use them. But, fearful of putting fabric in them. Glad to get this valuable info. Thanks.

My dh and I rescued a cedar chest belonging to one of his aunt's that was her hope chest. She was 85 when she died and she's been dead for about 10 years now. In the cedar chest was a grandmother's garden quilt that she made and that supposedly won ribbons at a county fair years ago. I was on the bottom of the cedar chest and had not staining or anything. There was also a hobnail chenille bedspread that she used on her 4 poster bed in the 1970s that is in perfect condition. it is white with the big pink and blue flowers. No staining, etc. In perfect condition. The cedar chest still has the smell of cedar and I open it every now and then just for the antique cedar smell.

I use old pillow shams to store mine - rolled, of course.