I recently got into my safe after not being in it for a long time and noticed a strong musty smell. i notice some light mold on the outside of one of the books the held some of my currency. I trashed all the holders the had any mold on it but the papar money itself still has a musty smell. The notes don't have any mold spots or anything, just a must smell.
I don't have any advice on how to rid the musty smell off notes, but in the future try putting some silica gel packets in the safe close to the paper money. That might help keep some moisture control in the safe.
Try KIS storage boxes, I asked the manufacturer and there is no PVC. Also in addition to silica gels, you should use cobalt-free humidity cards to monitor the level of humidity.
You need to seek advice as to moisture levels if you are going to continue to use a single safe. Coins prefer 0% moisture if possible, paper generally about 40% humidity or it will start to fragment as it is organic. Dessicators can damage paper money if they are really efficient. A musty smell that doesn't disappear in a couple of days in the open, indicates mold infestation. I only have a few pieces of paper money, so they are in the bank SDB as banks vaults are usually at a proper moisture level, but any procedure to kill the mold is likely to damage the paper also, so I prefer a paper expert to comment on how they would handle that. jim
Not with paper money, but I have had that issue with old books. What I did was simply air the out. Allow fresh air, (don't do it on a rainy or overly humid day), to "wash away" the smell. As long as there is no mold on it, the smell should go away. Of course, do not place in sunlight, but someplace protected on a windy, nice day. I have a large three season porch I used.
Sorry for asking in an old thread .. Does musty mean that the notes smell like old books? I recently bought a large collection of old bank notes from a UK seller, I have them in envelopes now, I took them out yesterday and noticed a strong old books odor. Note about our weather: today it is 72 degrees @ 73% humidity, I think we had 3 days of very light rain in the past 9 months. Humidity is high but I think because of high temperatures it does not affect coins or banknotes.
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I use Clorox wipes on old genealogy books and others when I find mold on them. Only wipe softly to cover and binding of them. Do not rub, only enough to kill the molded areas. You do not want to wet the areas. As for currency, since it is not regular paper, but rag, then use one to try on and as above, just softly hit the surface and let it dry on a flat surface. Then see how it turns out. I have a safe that I have a electrical low wattage dryer that works well, for over 20 years. So, far it's been good for currency and coins.
