Safes are becoming more common across many households in the country. As safes mostly contain highly-valuable items, it’s crucial to keep them at ideal humidity levels.
The ideal humidity level for a safe is around 50%. Keeping them in the 30% to 50% range is highly suggested.
Humidity levels would depend on other factors too like the season, where you are, current temperature, and even the placement and location of the safe.
Below, we’ll discuss in detail humidity for safes, the effects of too much humidity, and what you can do to control and maintain ideal humidity levels in your safe.
What is a Safe?
A safe is a container usually made out of steel. There is a hinged door to open and close the safe and a secured locking mechanism.
Safes are used to store important and sensitive items from theft and unauthorized use. Though mainly used for secure storage, many safes are also designed fireproof and waterproof to some degree.
Safes could cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the brand, size, and features.
Its very purpose could vary depending on the person owning it. One of its main purposes is as a gun safe to securely store and protect guns, firearms, and ammunition supplies.
More than a gun safe
Anyone with guns in their house must own a gun safe. It not only protects your ammunition supply from possible theft but also gives you assurance there would be no unauthorized use or unintentional discharge in the house.
A gun safe is more than for keeping firearms safe but also a must to keep your family and kids safe.
More than for gun safekeeping, safes can also be used to store other valuable and sensitive items.
Other items you can store in safes include financial, legal, and business documents. You can even store old photographs you don’t have digital copies of.
Safes are great for storing and keeping jewelry safe so they don’t fall victim to robbery as well. You can keep cash and any other item that you hold valuable in safes.
Ideal Indoor Humidity Level For Safe
Having a safe to store valuable items in your home doesn’t end with just buying and owning one.
Before you get yourself one, you should know that the ideal indoor humidity levels for safes is a very important detail to keep in mind.
The ideal humidity level for safes should be around 50%. Relative humidity (RH) from 30% to 50% is also considered ideal and favorable.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) also agrees with this for the ideal gun safe humidity level to store guns, firearms, and ammunition.
Anything that goes higher or lower than this range is either too humid or too dry and can cause issues like rust or corrosion to your guns.
Ideal temperature level for safe
Humidity and temperature levels often go hand-in-hand and one affects the other.
The ideal temperature level for safe is around 70°F. You can also aim for a temperature range of 60°F to 70°F.
This ideal temperature mark is also backed by the NRA for gun safekeeping.
Why Do Safes Get Humid?
Though mostly airtight, humidity can still go through the thick walls of safes. If there’s one thing you should know it’s safes never play nice with excessive moisture and humidity.
One of the most common reasons why safes tend to be humid is the location of the safe itself. If you place it somewhere you have very little control over temperature levels or somewhere where conditions fluctuate, this is most likely the cause of excess humidity.
Safes are better off in controlled environments – where you can control temperatures and other determining factors.
The constant opening and closing of the safe’s door can also be a factor in high humidity levels. When you open safes, humidity can make its way inside where it will then be trapped when the door is closed. Humid air can lead to condensation on the walls of the safe.
Can safes be too dry from low humidity as well?
Humidity isn’t the only thing that should be factored in when it comes to safes.
When you live somewhere with very dry air and with very low humidity, your safe might suffer from being too dry as well.
To be on the very safe side, make sure you keep the safe’s humidity levels from 30% to 50%.
What Happens if Safes Get Too Humid?
So we’ve established that safes don’t fare well in excessively humid conditions but what exactly happens when they get too humid?
Guns get rusty
If you’re using your safe as gun storage and it gets too humid, that can lead to gun damage. If there’s too much humidity, this can cause rust and corrosion to the firearms.
If a gun absorbs moisture and gets too damp, it could damage its inside mechanism, which then could lead to dangerous incidents like accidental discharge. Something could also go wrong when you intentionally discharge a damp gun.
Tarnished jewelry
Leaving pieces of jewelry inside a humid safe for a long time can damage them instead of protecting them. When jewelry sits in a humid environment for a long time, you will most likely end up with tarnished pieces.
Documents, cash, and photographs get damaged and smell
Exposing important and sensitive documents, photographs, and some cash to a humid safe can only lead to irreversible damage instead of protection and preservation.
When their environment gets too moist and damp, molds and mildew can form, leaving marks and an offensive smell. Usually, the damages are irreversible, and keeping them in a safe in the first place would be pointless.
What Other Factors Affect Safes’ Humidity Levels?
The temperature and indoor air quality have direct effects on humidity levels. The colder the air is outside, the less humidity there is in the air. In the same way, warmer air holds more moisture and can leave safes damper and more moist.
Safes fare best in a controlled environment so placement and location also play an important role. It would be best to place your safe in a consistently dry and cool place.
Typically, bedrooms and closets are favorable places. Places like the basement, garage, or shed aren’t ideal due to fluctuating and inconsistent environmental conditions.
Monitor, Control, and Maintain Ideal Relative Humidity
When you get a safe, you want to make sure you get to monitor, control, and maintain ideal humidity and temperature levels to protect what’s inside.
Hydrometer
The best way you can accurately measure and monitor humidity levels is with a hydrometer. A hydrometer is a measuring device that measures humidity levels in a certain space. This lets you know whether you need to increase or decrease the humidity level in the safe. And the good news is these are relatively cheap.
Humidifier and dehumidifier
To keep your valuables safe in your safe, a humidifier and/or dehumidifier might actually be your best pals. Depending on current humidity levels, you can either put out moisture in the air or dry the air out if there’s too much water vapor in it.
These two come in different sizes and prices so make sure you do your research before getting anything.
Silica gels
If you want something more practical, convenient, and budget-friendly, silica gels are a great choice. These also help draw moisture out from the air. Simply place them inside the safe but make sure they’re directly touching anything.
Also, remember not to put too many gel packs inside as this can dry out the air too much instead.
Light bulb
If dehumidifiers are not a viable choice for you, try light bulbs instead. Simply plug and turn them on. The heat from a turned-on light bulb dries out the air and draws out excess moisture.
Rice
Surprisingly, rice offers another budget-friendly alternative to monitor and draw out excess moisture. Placing a bowl of rice inside the safe offers a cheap alternative, preserving the integrity of guns, firearms, documents, and jewelry inside the safe.
Conclusion
Safes are essential for anyone who wants to keep and store important and sensitive items. These items can range from legal documents, jewelry, and photographs to guns and firearms.
Having valuable items stored inside, it’s imperative that safes are maintained at ideal humidity levels. The ideal humidity level for safe is around 50%. The safest humidity levels range from 30% to 50%, and the best way to maintain this range is with a quality dehumidifier for you safe. Anything lower or higher than this can lead to serious and irreversible issues for the items stored inside the safe.
And that has been our detailed guide on the ideal humidity level for safes. We hope this was more than helpful but if you have more questions, hit us up right below!
