Silica Gel desiccant sachet in cases

Koa

What are the pros and cons of leaving these in guitar cases? I seem to remember being told to remove them from a new case.

usedtobe

Aren't they there to absorb any condensation that occurs during shipping (from China, presumably, in shipping containers)?
They probably don't really do anything at all during normal use, opening and closing the case, regularly, guitar coming out, and going back in, less drastic temperature/humidity changes.. I'd probably just bin them, anyway, or collect them in a drawer - you never know, they might come in handy someday.. 

thermionic

I keep them in because a) my house is generally quite humid (read: damp) and b) I reckon the fluffy lining in most cases can hold a lot of moisture.

But the most important thing to remember about silica gel sachets is DO NOT EAT.

Dave_Mc

^^ Not sure there's any point in keeping them in a drawer, you'll just end up with a very dry drawer...

crunchman

Get rid of them.  If anything the problem in centrally heated house is likely to be too little humidity.  People with high end acoustic sometimes keep humidifiers in the case.  I don't think that's necessary in the UK unless you live in Scotland and have your heating up really high, but you definitely shouldn't need to dry out your cases.

Jack_

I can't imagine these have a very long shelf life? You sometimes see them in things that are 10 years old, like wardrobes etc, they can't be doing anything at that point can they?

axisus

I never understood why they left those nice little snacks in all kinds of cases?

thermionic

Jack_ said:

I can't imagine these have a very long shelf life? You sometimes see them in things that are 10 years old, like wardrobes etc, they can't be doing anything at that point can they?

Gentle heat will drive off the adsorbed water. Half an hour on a very low oven, or a couple of hours in a radiator will refresh them.

BTW, my hygrometer is reading 47% at the moment but it hasn't rained for a week and it's been quite sunny. Most of the year it's closer to 60%.

Winny_Pooh

Toxic for pets, I'd bin it if you have one.

RandallFlagg

If you leave them long enough they turn into big spiders

mikeyrob73

Winny_Pooh said:

Toxic for pets, I'd bin it if you have one.

bit harsh on the pet 

badlydrawnbanjo

crunchman said:

Get rid of them.  If anything the problem in centrally heated house is likely to be too little humidity.  People with high end acoustic sometimes keep humidifiers in the case.  I don't think that's necessary in the UK unless you live in Scotland and have your heating up really high, but you definitely shouldn't need to dry out your cases.

Gibson supplied a humidifier in the case when I bought my j45 around 12 years ago. I live in Manchester by the way. Not know for it's lack of moisture. 

Dave_Mc

mikeyrob73 said:

Winny_Pooh said:

Toxic for pets, I'd bin it if you have one.

bit harsh on the pet 

Hahahaha, I was gonna say it's a bit unfair assuming he might not have a bin, but that's much better

Sassafras

Which bin?
The recycle bin or the household waste one?

Bridgehouse

Sassafras said:

Which bin?
The recycle bin or the household waste one?

Do you want your recycling or your household waste bone dry?

mikeyrob73

Can pets be classed as household waste? 

Dave_Mc

^ I'm not sure but our neighbour's cat seems to class our garden as a toilet, so I wonder if it evens out?

tony99

thermionic said:

I keep them in because a) my house is generally quite humid (read: damp) and b) I reckon the fluffy lining in most cases can hold a lot of moisture.

But the most important thing to remember about silica gel sachets is DO NOT EAT.

If it's the same stuff they put in packets of beef jerky then I did eat some once, thought it was some spicy peppery additive!

57Deluxe

I remember going to buy a pair of new binoculars with some schoomates and on the bus home wondering what the silca gel sachet was for and one kid piped up they were for cleaning the lenses.....!!! .......

NO - of course I didn't fall for it!

sgosden

save them and spread them around the drummer, it'll help absorb the drool.

midlifecrisis

dont throw them in the ocean, along with sponges this accounts for ocean levels falling 20 inches a year