Your gun safe should be a protected environment that won’t ruin or rust your guns. But if you aren’t careful, moisture can get inside there and lead to rust. If you want to know how to keep moisture out of a gun safe, you’ve come to the right place.
While you probably won’t just have puddles of water sitting in the safe, it is prone to condensation that can build up and wear on things in the safe. While the safe is a protective piece of equipment, you do have to take some additional steps to ensure that you protect the environment within the safe as well.
In this guide, we will share some strategies to help you maintain moisture control for your gun safe.
Gun safes lock and close and are often made of steel, wood, or some highly durable material. They probably are leakproof or even waterproof but when we refer to moisture in a gun safe, we’re not really referring to regular water. Although that is a problem and you don’t want water in the safe, your biggest adversary is actually going to be humidity levels.
Whether or not you have humidity issues will likely depend on where the gun safe is stored. For example, if yours is locked up in the garage, you simply don’t have temperature control there like you do throughout your home.
It’s the same concept if you store your gun safe somewhere like an outdoor shop, a basement, or even an attic. These are all common locations for gun safes and most of the time, they don’t have steady temperatures. In some cases, like the basement, they are simply more prone to high humidity and moisture.
Even a gun safe is kept in your temperature-controlled home. Most homes maintain humidity levels somewhere between 30-50% Trusted Source Controlling Indoor Humidity | The Master Group | Master Group Just as the temperature shown on your thermostat, the relative humidity level in your home has a direct impact on the air quality and the comfort of occupants. www.master.ca . Ideally, less than 50% is really the best, and closer to 30% is preferred. However, that won’t necessarily stop the gun safe from being subjected to humidity and moisture.
The fact that they are enclosed and locked up a lot could also cause them to hold moisture within. Even small gun safes like these best bedside gun safes can retain moisture.
So, what do you do to keep moisture out of the gun safe?
There is more than one way to keep moisture out of a gun safe. That is where we come in. You can use some sort of moisture absorber for your gun safe or even utilize a moisture control device for the gun safe.
Depending on your safe, you might find that one option works better for your needs. You could also choose to keep your safe in a space that has air conditioning and heating from a central unit. However, we recommend you don’t rely on just your air conditioner. You can add something like gel packs, Damp Rid, dry rice, or one of the other options you will find detailed here.
More on each of these below!
The first option is to use an electric dehumidifier Trusted Source How do dehumidifiers work | Live Science How do dehumidifiers work? We get into the science behind this appliance. www.livescience.com in your home. You can use this in or around the same area where the gun safe is stored to help control the moisture in the environment. These could be helpful if you know the space tends to have high humidity levels.
You can take a look at some of these best energy efficient dehumidifiers for a quality solution. These types of dehumidifiers are designed to work throughout an entire room or space. You can also find dehumidifiers that would go inside your gun safe and are designed specifically for this purpose.
In addition to the electric style of dehumidifiers, there are also non-electric options out there. These will be still small machines but they won’t need to be plugged in to operate. This may reassure you if you’re worried about the electric device being shut up in a gun safe or if you don’t want to worry about the cost of running an electric device.
Be mindful of paying attention to how long these devices last. Since they are not electric, they will likely need to be replaced on occasion as the absorbency capability reduces.
You might also look for a rechargeable solution that tends to last longer.
You might also hear of these referred to as a desiccant. They will be some sort of stationary device that has internal technology or crystals designed to absorb moisture. There are several different types of these, so pay attention to packaging and instructions to know when they need to be changed out to keep moisture at bay.
Another similar option is to use silica gel packs like these from the Dry & Dry Store. The gel packs are typically in some sort of foil or plastic flexible package that you can set in your safe and they will help absorb moisture.
You may have seen similar options in new purses or a new pair of shoes. It’s the same concept but may be a slightly larger packet. You will just need to change them out occasionally for them to work as effectively as possible.
You may have heard of using dry rice to help absorb water. People have used this trick for cellphones and other items that have been dropped in water and it can work effectively. The dry rice absorbs the moisture around it. In fact, this is how rice is cooked. You put it in the water and it absorbs water, turning it soft.
You probably won’t use this rice for food when you’re finished but it can sure be helpful as an inexpensive and simple method to keep moisture out of a gun safe. As with the other absorption methods we’ve shared here, you will need to check the rice and change it out occasionally.
How much do you know about baking soda Trusted Source Baking Soda: Exploring the Science of Baking Soda Learn more about the science of baking soda. This salt has many domestic and industrial uses, such as a food additive, medicine, and cleaning product. axial.acs.org ? This sodium bicarbonate mixture was designed for the kitchen and has since been found to have a ton of other benefits too. Baking soda absorbs, that was the entire concept behind it. It absorbs odors and it can help to absorb moisture as well.
For that reason, you can use it to control moisture in your gun safe. Just open up the box based on the instructions and set it somewhere it won’t spill inside the safe. You will need to be mindful to change it out occasionally.
If you have a small safe without a lot of room like these best hidden gun safes, you might need something small or simple to just toss inside of them. One great option is mothballs. They are small and if you place them carefully, they will help to absorb the moisture inside your safe.
Moth balls can have toxic ingredients on them so handle them with care and be sure to wash your hands or use gloves as well.
The other option is this DampRid Refillable Moisture Absorber. You will just need to be sure to refill it occasionally to keep it working. Options like this work by using gel beads to absorb any excess moisture in the air. You could place it on the floor of your safe or on a shelf and it will help with moisture control for the gun safe.
Finally, you could try a light bulb for dehumidification Trusted Source Experimental study of humidity control methods in a light-emitting diode (LED) lighting device | SpringerLink We examined commercially available humidity control methods, and experimented with MILSTD- 810G (Military Standards United States) to evaluate humidity on the global climatic environment. link.springer.com inside the gun safe. Some safes actually come with bulbs in them for this reason. If you do use a bulb, it has to be connected to power and operating in order to help reduce humidity so keep that detail in mind for the best results.
You won’t need a high-wattage bulb but this could differ depending on the safe that you are using and what type of hookup it has available. Some safes even have small holes drilled into them to allow you to run a cord through them as needed. In other cases, you might need to drill a very small hole to make it work.
If you decide to use a bulb, just be sure to do so safely and avoid any fire hazards in the process.
There are several different options to choose from when you want to protect your gun safe and the items inside of it from unnecessary moisture exposure. Even in an air-conditioned space, it’s a good idea to use one of the smaller options like gel packs or Damp Rid to ensure you don’t have moisture within the safe that can ruin your items.
These tips to keep moisture out of a gun safe are all simple options that are easy to implement. Always keep safety in mind and use the solution you feel will work best for your safe’s design.
