Caring for Christmas Tree Ornaments: Home Care & Insurance
In caring for Christmas ornaments, whether they were expensively purchased
or inexpensively acquired, most of us consider all of our ornaments as
precious. In short, they make up, in sum, a record of our lives, mementos of
youth, of childhood passions and accomplishments, of grandparents and
grandchildren. We'll discuss the care of Christmas ornaments in this article,
and whether or not you should procure insurance for Christmas ornaments.
First, you have to consider the raw materials. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does represent the primary building blocks for most ornaments: resin, glass, and multi-media. We will also discuss the option of carrying Christmas ornaments insurance on your most prized and valued ornaments.
Insuring Resin Ornaments
In this section, I'll first discuss what the difference between "resin" is and glass, how their care differs, and what part insurance should play in covering your valuable ornaments.
Almost everyone has seen the term "resin" in a product description, but few people know what it is. In short: it's a petroleum product, similar to plastic, but having different characteristics. Do not confuse this "resin" with another definition for the same word. "Resin" that is used in perfumes and other products can be both naturally derived from plant and tree sources, as well as synthetically produced. That resin is not "this" resin. The resin used in the manufacture of Christmas ornaments is more correctly called "polyresin" for Polymer resin. To manufacture polymer resin, one starts with petroleum and/or natural gas. This substances are extremely easy to mold, and are therefore used to quickly and easily make molded Christmas ornaments. The simplest ones have a flat backside which enables them to be quickly poured into a mold and popped back out.
Resin will outlast all of us. It is somewhat brittle, so it cannot stand being banged about as it will chip. It does not, however, respond negatively to cold or heat, to light or darkness, to atmospheric acidity or alkalinity. What one has to care for is how the resin has been decorated. Paint can chip off, and paint sometimes shrinks or contracts based on exposure to heat and cold.
In sum, your resin Christmas ornaments do not need any particular special care except to avoid putting them in an attic that has temperature surges above 90 degrees F or below 60 degrees. In short, these ornaments need to be stored in a closet within the house and not in an attic if you live in a climate that has severe winter and/or summer temperatures. That advice will have your resin ornaments looking as good 40 years from now as they did when you bought them. However, if a 5-8 year span is all you require, they'll do well in the attic with only some kind of air-tight cover to keep the dust off.
Insuring Glass Ornaments
Properly supported and protected, glass ornaments will last forever. The paint used on glass ornaments varies, and this is the variable which can effect the life of your glass Christmas ornament collection. Most higher-end manufacturers use paints that also act like stains. There is a bonding that occurs between the paint and the glass surface that, over time, can fade, but will not chip off.
Fading occurs when a paint is exposed to UV radiation. Particularly vulnerable are reds, blues, and yellows. The energy from ultraviolet waves can knock electrons away from the atoms, causing the molecules to split. This splitting creates a surface that now has "no color", and hence over time, we perceive this as fading. While direct sunlight is the primary source of UV light, welders and a few other man-made items emit these waves. Assuming your household is a typical household, there's no reason to fear damage from UV waves unless you place your Christmas tree in a bay window. The sunlight does not have to be direct in order to damage your ornaments. You won't even notice 1 or 2 years of exposure, but within 4-5 years, you will be able to tell the difference between your new ornaments, and ones that have been exposed to sunlight a few Christmases in a row. If you don't want them to fade, simply never put your decorated Christmas tree in a position for it receive sunlight.
Multi-media
As fads and trends come and go, we occasionally find ornaments made of resin, glass, fabric, sequins and even natural organics like twigs, branches or sisal/rope. Anything that has fabric on it is subject to rotting. Rotting occurs when a sufficient amount of moisture has been leached out of the material. A dry hot environment can fairly quickly destroy organics. This decay releases certain chemicals into the air that can have a negative impact on other materials as well, including causing glazes to craze. If you're going to keep ornaments in an attic, keep your organics separated so that as they decay, you won't cause undue harm to your other ornaments.
This brings up the issue of ambient atmosphere. Air has pollen and dust particles in it. There's a point at which the moisture in the air, combined with the dust particles on an ornament will leave a stain that's almost impossible to remove. In an ideal world, we'd have air-tight containers for our Christmas ornaments storage. However, "air tight" is really not necessary. The goal is not ambient sterility. The goal is avoiding of air-borne pollutants. Therefore, a closed box, in a closet, in a house that has a filtration system on its air handling system works just fine.
Marketing Hype & Myth
A few years ago, a company that manufactured ornament storage systems attempted to sell its high-priced "ornament boxes" by asserting their "low pH" formula. The public has just never responded with hysteria to claims of "special pH balance". We've seen this marketing message in everything from toothpaste and deodorant, to shampoo and now….to ornament storage boxes.
PH has a range from acid to alkaline. It is very hard to get a naturally-derived substance like tissue paper to be highly acidic. You really do not need to worry about the pH balance of your storage boxes. Nothing around your ornaments needs to be of "archival quality".
The simplicity of storing your Christmas ornaments is: no sunlight while on display; no swings in ambient temperature while stored; and, maintain them in a closed container. If you follow just those 3 things, your ornaments will be in your family for generations. If you're ready to add to your collection, we recommend the wide assortment at Russell Rhodes Christmas Ornaments, offering more than 2000 ornaments in resin and glass that can be personalized as well. Be careful to check with your insurance agent about your
home owner's policy. In many cases, valuable ornaments that are precious to you are not in fact insured as the value is considered emotional, not physical. Make sure and itemize your most valued possessions and get them added to your insurance policy on a rider. In this wise -- while it's a lot of one-time work -- you'll know that
your very best possessions will at least be compensated for in the event of a catostrophic loss.