6 Surprising Benefits of Having a Dry Cabinet in Your Home

Design: The Monocot Studio

What are dry cabinets?

A dry cabinet, also called dehumidifying cabinet or dry box, is a special storage device that protects its content from a wide range of excess humidity related problems such as moisture, mould and fungus infection. A dry cabinet helps to maintain a healthy Relative Humidity (RH) level, which is kept within a range of 35% to 45% for the best moisture control. Hence, they are practically useful for humid tropical countries such as Singapore.

What can they be used for?

Most people associate dry cabinets for storing cameras and expensive SLR gears. However, the dry cabinets are especially useful for storing many other things too! Here are other reasons why dry cabinets are useful for other household items.

Image from Reddit

#1. Keeps sneakers or leather shoes in pristine condition

If you are a vintage sneaker collector or own a few pairs of limited edition leather designer shoes, the dry cabinet helps to keep them out of direct light and keep excess moisture at bay. A dehumidifier cabinet to maintain an optimal RH level to keep them in tip-top condition.

#2. Stores delicate vintage collectables well

A controlled dry humidity environment will help delicate vintage collectables such as dollar notes, coins, stamps, comic books and rate trading cards from breaking down. Paper is prone to turning brown and brittle over time when they are exposed to a humid environment.

#3. Lengthen the lifespan of important documents and valuable art pieces

A dry cabinet keeps important documents such as birth and marriage certificates and expensive art pieces moisture free which helps to lengthen their lifespan and retain their value.

Image from The handbag spa

#4. Keeps mould away from designer leather handbags

Humidity is the worst enemy for any leather bag; an extremely dry environment will cause leather to dry up and crack, but high humidity will encourage mould and fungus to grow on the leather surfaces. Furthermore, a high humidity environment causes the metal bag hardware to turn black and oxidise. The recommended RH for leather products is between 50-70% at a temperature of 20° C. Having a good quality dehumidifying cabinet helps to extend the life of the designer bags and preserve their value. 

#5. Prevents other leather products from deteriorating or discolouring

Other leather products such as leather jackets or accessories will deteriorate, discolour, stained once mould and fungus start to grow on them. Investing in a reputable dry cabinet is better than relying on dehumidifier products such as Hippo moisture absorbable, which only works in a small confirmed area to prevent the growth of microbes like mould.

Image from Reddit

#6. Maintain musical instruments in optimal condition

Wooden instruments such as the guitar, cello, and violin are vulnerable to high humidity environments and need a RH of around 40% to maintain the wood in perfect condition. Brass instruments when kept in an optimal RH environment help to prevent corrosion and oxidisation. 

Image from Digihub

Recommended type of dry cabinets

There are 2 types of dry cabinets; the first type is a desiccant box, which is actually a simple sealed, airtight box containing desiccant such as silica gel. However, the humidity level cannot be controlled or regulated. The second type is an electronic dry box, which contains a small Peltier cooler that removes moisture and a control instrument for adjustment of the humidity level. More expensive dry boxes are installed with a settable digital hygrometer for precise humidity level control. Therefore, an electronic dry box is more suitable if you need to control the humidity level within the cabinet.