areisemann
commented
8 years ago I am also having space issues with--and therefore preservation concerns about--storing collection items like t-shirts and hoodies, which are bulky and not easily stackable. Since my basement can flood a bit, I'm very limited in how and where I can store them. Thus, they fill up special, designated drawers of the only table with any deep drawers I own (bedroom bureau), they are hung up on a hook in the closet, or they are folded and stacked in top of boxes, bins, and suitcases in my closet.
The first problem shows up here: I still have to use my bureau for my own clothes too, and all the drawers of the bureau are therefore jammed full. However, these drawers like to catch clothing when you shut them, which means clothing is constantly getting stuck and dragged along their tracks. Occasionally, the drawers also can get off track and jam, which means that you have to tug at them to open and you end up with an explosion of shirts. All of this causes unnecessary wear and tear as well as direct damage to the materials.
The second problem is that my closet has no shelves and is quite cramped. Due to the basement issue, that's my only storage for my own clothing and personal items. It is also one of two places (both small) that I can hang any coats/etc. This leads to a clusterfuck of collection clothing piles migrating, falling down, getting squashed, and being stepped on. This fate is also shared somewhat by the collection clothing that is hanging up in the closet, since the closets are narrow but deepish. Thus, you have to push aside, under, and around hanging clothing to access the boxes behind and underneath it. And this means that the clothing gets dragged down by boxes, falls off hooks/hangers, and has heavy/rough items pushed back and forth against it. All of this causes unnecessary wear and tear as well as direct damage to the materials.
Many of the IHA's issues relate to space problems, and that is part of the issue with the oversize materials (e.g. subway-size posters). One of the things I've done this week is to assess oversize collection materials. The situation is stable but it's not good for preserving. For example, the oversize posters are rolled and contained either in cardboard poster tubes or stuffed on top of them. The posters are stored by being tucked vertically behind the door or horizontally behind a large bureau mirror next to my bedroom closet. This location, which is the best I've got given how many posters I have and how many of them are large posters, is unfortunately a medium traffic area. Some posters are getting crushed, and some edges are getting ripped or becoming worn.