How do I keep documents dry in my document safe?

Question

My papers get almost soggy in my safe. I don't understand why since we are in a fairly dry climate up here in central Alberta.

Answer 1

Try and get some Silica Gel it comes in a Nylon type little Bag with Electrical Gadgets when you Buy them, Televisions  Radios ,Shavers, etc. It is for keeping things Dry when Stored or in Transit from Overseas. When you think the Bag is starting to get a bit Damp you can put it in the Oven for awhile to dry out a bit and then use it again. Where do you buy Silica Gel I do not know, but you could try an Electric or Computer Gadget Shop like Maplans that we have in UK and Ireland ,i dont know what the correspondant  Shop is in Canada you will have to search in your locality.

Answer 2

if you close the door on your safe it will probably work

Answer 3

When you say you "are in a fairly dry climate" I thought of times when I've traveled in Alberta.  I didn't think of it as fairly dry.  But then I also travel in the southwest US, now that is pretty dry.

Anyway I looked up climate data for Edmonton and it seems that part of Alberta has an average relative humidity of 70%, year round.  

Somehow, the ambient air is getting into your safe and condencing on the cooler metal.  You could try storing the safe in a warmer place in the house so moisture from the air will not condense in it or you could try sealing it with tape (but that would be a pain when you wanted to open the safe) and third option would be to seal your documents in zip lock bags before putting them in the safe.

Answer 4

put them in a 2 gallon zip lock bag.