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Topic: Good solutions for long term CD storage? (Read 27307 times) previous topic - next topic
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Good solutions for long term CD storage?

I have a pretty large CD collection that I have built up over the years. CD is still my format of choice when I buy music, but I usually just rip them and put them away. I use my htpc for playing music. I also have started scanning all cover art, booklets etc, but that is a project that is destined to take a while...
 

So, what do I do with my CD collection? It's taking up a lot of space that I could really need for other things. The collector in me would hate to see them go. Selling them or giving them away is really not an option. I am considering storing them in my garage, but is there a good way to pack them so they won't be damaged by temperature swings and humidity?

I have the CD's nicely stacked in cardboard boxes, like the ones they arrive at stores in. These boxes are then packed in the kind of cardboard boxes you use for moving. I live in a cold country, with temperatures down to -20 Celsius in the winter, and up to around 30 Celsius in the summer (if we're lucky). My garage is not insulated. Is there a way to store them safely for many years in such an environment? I am concerned about both the discs themselves and the booklets.

I'm sure many of you have been in this situation, and I'm hoping you will share your experiences.

Thanks!

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #1 –
Transferring them to two pocket plastic sleeves, one side for the CD, the other for the paperwork, reduces storage space considerably.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #2 –
Aside from avoiding high temperatures, it is very important to avoid high humidity. I would also recommend storing them with the CD vertical, just as you would for tape or vinyl.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #3 –
Thank you, AndyH-ha and pdq.

I have considered getting rid of the plastic cases, but I think will prefer to keep them.

As for humidity, that is what I am most worried about. I could seal the boxes and make them watertight, but I guess there will still be some condensation inside the boxes. I'm thinking that there should be at least two ways to prevent that:

1. Storing everything in some sort of airtight containers, and sucking the air out and creating vacuum.
2. Lining the boxes and filling empty space with some sort of material that will absorb and dissipate humidity. Many natural materials can do this very well, for instance there is insulation materials made of wool for houses.

I guess these two methods each have pros and cons. A watertight container sounds nice, as long as no condensation occurs. However, if it happens, the moisture will be trapped inside the container. Also, I'm not sure how easy it will be to find a way to suck the air out. I think option 2, with materials that breathe, would be better.

Any other ideas? They will be most appreciated. 

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #4 –
leaking roof, flood, mice, rats, burglars, fire, dust, ...

consigning something to the garage is a way of throwing it away before you've mentally adjusted to the idea. it's a stage in the gradual process of letting go. it's not a way to _keep_ something (except by pure luck).

Having found this out the hard way, I've boarded and insulated our loft. Because I don't intend to throw my CDs away either

You can use silica gel (or whatever the modern equipment is) to soak up moisture, and pack them in insulated boxes (e.g. 100mm celotex). This won't prevent long term temperature swings, but will slow them down a little and reduce the extreme a little.

Maybe it's time to insulate your garage?

Maybe it's time to double-check your rips, ensure you have a decent backup, and say goodbye to physical media? Or do that, but put the CDs in the garage and keep your fingers crossed!

Cheers,
David.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #5 –
Quote from: AndyH-ha on
Transferring them to two pocket plastic sleeves, one side for the CD, the other for the paperwork, reduces storage space considerably.
They stick though. I bet if they're left long enough in the right (wrong!) conditions, they stick well enough to pull the print off the paper, and the recording off the disc.

Cheers,
David.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #6 –
Quote from: 2Bdecided on
consigning something to the garage is a way of throwing it away before you've mentally adjusted to the idea. it's a stage in the gradual process of letting go. it's not a way to _keep_ something

There is a lot of truth in this comment! 

Quote from: 2Bdecided on
Maybe it's time to double-check your rips, ensure you have a decent backup, and say goodbye to physical media? Or do that, but put the CDs in the garage and keep your fingers crossed!

My rips are good and backup is well taken care of, several copies both on-site and off-site. It's the collector in me that says "keep"!

I think I'm just waiting for a way to purchase new music in a lossless CD quality format, that would make it easier to make the jump and stop buying physical media. No matter which storage solution I choose, there's a high probability that I will never look at them again. And when I am dead and gone, they will probably go the same way.

Perhaps I'll play it safe and sort out the must-have albums with high collector's value or affection value, and give these proper in-house storage. The rest could be discarded.

Do you know anyone who has ever seriously regretted getting rid of their collection? Perhaps a poll is called for!

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #7 –
Unless the garage has some sort of temperature control I wouldn't personally subject my collection to what I'd call violent temperature changes between summer and winter. Garages get insanely hot in the summer, mine gets considerably hotter than it ever does outside.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Von on
I think I'm just waiting for a way to purchase new music in a lossless CD quality format, that would make it easier to make the jump and stop buying physical media. No matter which storage solution I choose, there's a high probability that I will never look at them again. And when I am dead and gone, they will probably go the same way.
For what it’s worth, I vastly prefer to buy downloads now, since CDs just get ripped and then sit on a shelf doing nothing, wasting space, and creating clutter—all until they eventually end on some landfill. So both environmental concerns and a desire to avoid further mess are at play!

Quote
Perhaps I'll play it safe and sort out the must-have albums with high collector's value or affection value, and give these proper in-house storage. The rest could be discarded.
Yeah, if I buy a physical CD (or vinyl), it’s because it’s one of my absolute favourites and/or isn’t available in (any!) downloadable form.

Quote
Do you know anyone who has ever seriously regretted getting rid of their collection? Perhaps a poll is called for!
Only in terms of the price I accepted…

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #9 –
Quote from: db1989 on
For what it’s worth, I vastly prefer to buy downloads now, since CDs just get ripped and then sit on a shelf doing nothing, wasting space, and creating clutter—all until they eventually end on some landfill. So both environmental concerns and a desire to avoid further mess are at play!

I agree, the environmental aspect is important.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #10 –
I can't believe I'm actually suggesting this 'cause it's too stupid, but I've seen adds on TV for a storage solution where there are these air-tight bags that are designed to have their air vacuumed out of them (to save space on non-rigid bodies, hold well for longer, etc).  What if you boxed your CDs, and then put the boxes in this sort of bag and vacuum sealed it?  That should stop the major threats of water damage and probably most condensation and other air factors.  I don't know  how the temperature affects things.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Von on
Do you know anyone who has ever seriously regretted getting rid of their collection?


I regretted getting rid of my physical CDs because I ripped to lossy and didn't keep the logs.

If I could do it all over again I would've kept the CDs. I won't ever use the actual discs but I might want to look at the album art at some point. So the discs would go into spindle cases so they take as little space as possible. The album art would go into a CD wallet for easy access.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #12 –
I ripped mine as mp3 >192kbps in 2002.
After struggling mentally for months, i re-ripped my collection in flac.

With 60 albums burned into 1 bluray disc, i just store the 4 BD-R in my dry box. 
Of course, with duplicates set store in different location.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #13 –
I'm able to keep three binders of cds in a bookshelf and I haven't noticed anything wrong with paperwork or discs.  They've been in these things a couple of years.  I don't regularly move any of the stuff around mind you.  Perhaps you can do something similar with sleeves.  Keeping them in jewel cases just wasn't practical considering how much space they took up.

As for getting rid of the cd altogether and relying on your computer backups, well, I don't think I'd ever do that despite the flac backups on multiple drives in multiple places.  As it is with the US laws, having the cd proves I have bought a copy of the music.  Downloads are tagged with amazon or emusic tags.  I assume keeping the files of a disc you no longer own while in the US is considered illegal as you have sold off the copy you had bought.  You couldn't do the same with something like a desk if you sold it to another person...can't use the desk because you don't own it any longer.  Same theory applies.
foobar2000, FLAC, and qAAC -V90
It just works people!

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #14 –
Quote from: SCOTU on
I can't believe I'm actually suggesting this 'cause it's too stupid, but I've seen adds on TV for a storage solution where there are these air-tight bags that are designed to have their air vacuumed out of them (to save space on non-rigid bodies, hold well for longer, etc).  What if you boxed your CDs, and then put the boxes in this sort of bag and vacuum sealed it?  That should stop the major threats of water damage and probably most condensation and other air factors.  I don't know  how the temperature affects things.

 
Don't worry, I actually thought of the same thing! Haven't seen them advertised in a while, but I guess they might be a bit expensive. I'm not sure if a vacuum cleaner is powerful enough to remove enough air to give any real protection. However, the ads looked mighty impressive, with a pillow shrinking to the size of a pancake!

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #15 –
plastic sleeves stick to the CDs? The material and quality varies considerably. Who can say about forever, but I''ve been using them for eight to nine years without problems. The real difficulty is finding a source that consistently carries good quality. Blackstone Audio Books uses marvelous sleeves, but I couldn't get any response when I tried to find out wher they buy them.

I did buy some that caused the disk surface to turn bronze tinted, then the sleeves fell apart. Didn't seem to hurt the playing quality however.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #16 –
I'm interested in this too.

I have ~3500 cds & the library is starting to look rather unsightly or just plain weird... we're moving out of the country & want to take the cds with us but clearly the cases would cost a pretty penny to move.

Has anyone had any good experiences with any of the cd binders or is that just scratches waiting to happen? We primarily listen to FLAC on a networked stereo system in the house so the cds rarely get use unless that's the only option we have (like when you're moving & your moving truck only supports a cd & no audio input)...

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #17 –
I'm sure binders are like the plastic sleeves already mentioned - quality differs. Many of the sleeves are sold for insertion into binders. Scratching should not be a problem but deterioration (e.g. "rotting") of the plastic holders can be.

The sleeves I mentioned that I like so much look and feel like white fabric. It is very flexible but its multi-layer shape holds it together well. I'm sure it is some synthetic but I have no idea what it is called (some get-with-recycling ads mention things like shirts being made of recycled plastic beverage bottles). If anyone ever learns where such sleeves can be purchased, please post.

If moisture isn't a problem, the better paper envelopes seem good for storage (but less convenient for frequent access) but they' re a single pocket that will not also accommodate the jewel case paperwork in many cases.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #18 –
Quote from: AndyH-ha on
The sleeves I mentioned that I like so much look and feel like white fabric. It is very flexible but its multi-layer shape holds it together well. I'm sure it is some synthetic but I have no idea what it is called (some get-with-recycling ads mention things like shirts being made of recycled plastic beverage bottles). If anyone ever learns where such sleeves can be purchased, please post.


Might be Tyvek, which I think is a polyethylene fabric.

If you are just storing them as insurance against some disaster with your rips, most convenient IMO would be spindle cases, like 100 packs of CDR's come in.  WIth the artwork in a separate box your whole collection will likely be small enough to keep indoors, so no worry about the garage environment.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #19 –
Quote from: DonP on
If you are just storing them as insurance against some disaster with your rips, most convenient IMO would be spindle cases, like 100 packs of CDR's come in.  WIth the artwork in a separate box your whole collection will likely be small enough to keep indoors, so no worry about the garage environment.

I have considered spindles. Aside from friction, is there any disadvantage to stacking the discs on top of each other? Some sort of chemical reactions? And I suppose it would be wise to store the spindles horizontally, so the discs hang vertically?

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #20 –
[quoting doesn't seem to be working for me; the names keep getting eaten by the editor]
Quote
I have considered spindles. Aside from friction, is there any disadvantage to stacking the discs on top of each other? Some sort of chemical reactions?

Never heard of any chemical problems between discs, only between discs & paper, and very rarely even then.

I've read that discs with plastic hubs are meant to be stacked; in theory they'll be very close together, but the underside won't be touching the top of the disc under it. I don't know if that's really true, though. I took a road trip several years ago and put a bunch of my CDs in a box (vertically, no spindle), thinking they'd be OK, but they got dirty and jostled around, and, well, they're all pretty beat up now. 

Quote
I would also recommend storing them with the CD vertical, just as you would for tape or vinyl.

Vertical in their cases? Why?

Quote
And I suppose it would be wise to store the spindles horizontally, so the discs hang vertically?

Vertical on a horizontal spindle? Why?

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #21 –
Quote from: Von on
I have considered spindles. Aside from friction, is there any disadvantage to stacking the discs on top of each other? Some sort of chemical reactions? And I suppose it would be wise to store the spindles horizontally, so the discs hang vertically?


Consider that this is how CDR and DVD-R blanks are sold, stored on the shelf with the spindles vertical and the disks horizontal.

You could think up some situations where damage could occur, like if you label disks with a wax crayon then store them somewhere hot the wax could transfer to the bottom of the next disk.  In practice I've never seen any damage.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #22 –
Quote from: DonP on
Quote from: Von on
I have considered spindles. Aside from friction, is there any disadvantage to stacking the discs on top of each other? Some sort of chemical reactions? And I suppose it would be wise to store the spindles horizontally, so the discs hang vertically?


Consider that this is how CDR and DVD-R blanks are sold, stored on the shelf with the spindles vertical and the disks horizontal.

True. I suppose when a disc is kept horizontally in a normal jewel case, it could begin to hang a bit over time, and that this is why one should store them vertically. When they are stored on a spindle, they will probably be kept nice and flat by the pressure. Perhaps the discs at the bottom could be more prone to damage because of too much pressure? If so, 50 disc spindles might be safer than 100 disc spindles.

Anyway, I'm starting to like this idea. With a proper index, any given disc could be easily retrieved. All printed material, the booklets and back covers, could similarly be kept in a box. This would save a lot of space, allowing me to keep my collection in the house.

I can always store the original (now empty) jewel cases in my garage.



One challenge remains: The best way to store and separate the different booklets... Plastic, some special kind? Paper, acid free or something else? Anybody here with knowledge of paper and print in this regard? Comic book collectors might know.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #23 –
Quote from: DonP on
You could think up some situations where damage could occur, like if you label disks with a wax crayon then store them somewhere hot the wax could transfer to the bottom of the next disk.  In practice I've never seen any damage.
Grit or dust on a disc; the spindle gets spun = one circumferential scratch - the worst kind.

Cheers,
David.

Good solutions for long term CD storage?

Reply #24 –
Quote from: 2Bdecided on
Quote from: DonP on
You could think up some situations where damage could occur, like if you label disks with a wax crayon then store them somewhere hot the wax could transfer to the bottom of the next disk.  In practice I've never seen any damage.
Grit or dust on a disc; the spindle gets spun = one circumferential scratch - the worst kind.


Grit in the jewel case, disk gets spun = circumferential scratch.

Same answer:  Don't do that.

The context is the spindle case stored on a shelf somewhere, not letting the kids play bocce with it.