Ideal Humidity for Storing Fabric and Thread?
 

We recently moved into our new home and I plan to have my studio in the basement. The humidifier that was in the basement when we purchased it didn't seem to be doing much, so I purchased a new one and was shocked to see how humid it was before it started doing it's work -- which it is doing very well. So, my question is, what do you think is the ideal humidity for the area?

Hello and glad that you have a new house. I have been missing you . Hugs

Relative humidity of 50% is ideal and temps around 70ºF.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_preservation

Ideal just ain't gonna happen for me right now as it's closer to 70% humidity and 90ºF in central New Hampshire.

Hi Omacookie! Miss you, too! I'll be more active on the board once the studio is done.

Ghostrider, I looked at the wiki for textile conservation. Yikes! A lot to consider. The basement has two very large closets with shelves and since we have an exterminator contract, I was considering having the cracks at floor level sprayed so there are no silverfish or anything else icky.

Tartan, yes it has a direct drain, but I haven't hooked it up yet as I wanted to see how much it is pulling first. There is a slop sink in the laundry room, but I'm not sure if the hose will reach. At the moment, I'm emptying the bucket many times each day.

We have a ranch on a finished walkout basement. The bank thoughtfully gifted us with 2 large (& expensive!) dehumidifiers when we bought the house. And by that, I mean the bank failed to remove them prior to closing! It has been hot and humid here in Southwest Michigan and I decided that I would turn on one of the dehumidifiers in the basement to help with the A/C. When I turned it on, it said that the basement had 80% humidity even though it didn't feel like it. The first couple of days, I emptied it about every 2-3 hours while awake. Now I only run it during the day and it stays consistently between 50-60% humidity and empty the reservoir before going to bed. It also has a hose that leads to a drain but haven't had that much water pulled from the air to need it.

If the house is new construction, there may be increased humidity from the structure not being heated/cooled while it was built. If you have A/C I would guess that once the excess is removed, it should stabilize.
Congrats on your new house!

Krystyna, any hardware store will have hose you can use on your dehumidifier. It is sold by the foot so just measure how much you need before you go. The old hose is easy to disconnect and the new one should just slip right on. The hose is inexpensive and it's so nice not to be remembering to empty the tub.

Well, happy news! I'm down to 52%! Now to tackle the task of getting rid of the old (and no doubt moldy) one! Will run the hose as soon as my husband realizes that there is work to be done in the house and decides to pitch in. Grrrr.

I have found a way to " motivate" my DH for projects. ; I just start by doing it myself. This requires asking him many questions( often interrupting whatever he's doing), " borrowing " his tools, and usually doing a less than quality job,due to my inexperience. I just get on a google site and print off a set of instructions,plead total ignorance to an experienced- looking hardware salesman...etc. Good Luck.