Packing your dolls away for Summer? (Or exteme heat/humidity waves)

I live in Louisiana, the center of humidity in the USA. It rarely drops below 70-75% humidity in the summer and is usually in the upper 80s to 90s F. My dolls don't really ever get tucked away as I see them as a vital part of my room, and yet, for five years, none of my dolls have had any severe yellowing. I even have a french resin bambicrony. Unless your house gets into the 120s F I wouldn't worry too much about any overly extreme effects.

 

Have you thought about getting a cabinet, (not a glass display cabinet-more of a converted armoire with solid doors etc), for your dolls? I know that, for me, it was the perfect solution-it keeps them out of sunlight all the time and away from kitty paws...and it provides easy access-just open the doors and BOOM there they are, ready to play with Like a giant doll house that also managed to keep out the sun.
It won't help with the heat concerns entirely, but if put in the right area, it can help and it will certainly keep them away from UV rays

 

I actually live in the same general area as the OP (Mill Creek is just over the hill from Bothell. Our mail even routes through their post office. XD), and when she says she doesn't have AC... I can confirm that that's not at all unusual for the area. It's typical. Very, very few of us have AC up here, and last summer was brutal in a way that people used to warmer summers and climate-controlled buildings probably don't quite understand. 110 degrees outside equalled 100+ in many people's homes, including my own, and it lasted for quite awhile.

Heat *does* affect resin and it can cause more rapid yellowing, so keeping your dolls away from high heat is generally a good idea. Last year, I moved all of mine to the coolest,darkest room in the house. (Which was still close to 100 degrees. XP) This year we've been lucky enough not to see much in the way of heat (This weekend will be the first time we've approached 90-), and I've left my dolls in their places... But if we get up in the 100's again, you'd better believe I'll be moving them back downstairs. I consider protecting them from excessive heat like protecting them from direct sunlight. It's just a reasonable precaution to take.

 

I think your reasonong makes sense, perhaps you should change
the title though? Because you said in your latter post that the hot
weather only lasts a short time (not the entire Summer) it's not
as extreme sounding. My opinion is if you are fine with having all
your dolls stored away to protect them then why not? That was a
terrifying story too....I would be paranoid if something melted onto
one of my dolls!!
As for me I don't store my dolls away, they're all on their sofa or in
the re-ment house. I don't think I could enjoy them the same if I had
to go through the process of taking them out of their boxes and then
dressing them....then again my dolls are all in my bedroom and I get
very little sunlight

 

O.O Really? I didn't realize that temperatures in the 90's can harm the resin! I don't have air conditioning at my house and there is nowhere cool in my house. I don't want to move them to my parent's house because I'll miss them, but I don't want them to get damaged. It's been in the 90s all week and in the upper 80s at night!

 

I've heard different schools of thought on this issue! I have several friends in Florida, Malaysia, & Hawaii who don't pack their dolls up for any season, and it gets boiling there year round-- not to mention the tropical humidity!-- and they don't report any unusual problems with their doll maintenance. Many dolls are also made in South Korea, which can also be pretty sweltering.

But I do have one friend in eastern Kentucky who prefers to at least strip her dolls of dark-colored clothes & shoes when the hot-sticky-wet weather really hits, because she doesn't want to risk unilateral staining from the high humidity. She doesn't pack up the dolls themselves, just dresses them in non-stainey colors or lets them go naked & barefoot.


I can't really weigh in personally, though. We don't get summer here in San Francisco, so I am happy not to have this problem. In fact, we don't get seasons. In fact, now that I think on it, sunlight isn't much of an issue either. XD This morning was 57 degrees, it'll get as high as 73, and it'll be 57 again after the fog comes in. So, don't listen to me, take it from someone who lives near a heat source. ;>

 

We do get seasons up here in the Sasquatch-land, but the place just wasn't built with 100+ degree summers in mind. 70-80 is more typical "warm" weather for us... When it gets much over that, we all turn into total sweaty wimps. XD

I don't worry much about 90-or-less with my crew... It's just when things get closer to the 100 mark that I start to get paranoid about what the heat's doing to them. When the wax candles sitting in a friend's living room started melting in their holders last year, it made me worry about how the heat would affect all sorts of things.

 

The Eastern Coast of the US is having one heck of a heat wave right now. These are things that help those of us in the South, who have more experience with that sort of temperature (here in Oklahoma we can routinely expect a month of 100 plus temps every summer).

The temp is always cooler on the floor. Moving air always cools off what it is blowing on. Putting your dolls on or near the floor with a fan on them will keep them cooler. Putting YOU on the floor will do the same! (You might consider moving your mattress to the floor if this keeps up).

If the humidity is LOW you can make yourself a primitive "swamp cooler." Get a box fan a towel and a pan of water. Get the towel wet but not dripping, put one end in the pan of water and drape the towel over the back of the box fan and turn it on. The water in the towel will evaporate, cooling the air pulled through the fan. More water will wick up into the towel, continuing the process.

If the humidity is HIGH, consider getting a dehumidifier. They are much cheaper than an air conditioner, cost only pennies to operate and dry air feels cooler than humid air.

 

I would warn, though, that if you don't have A/C, a dehumidifier will make it much, much warmer in your house. The dryness doesn't really balance out with the heat. My house does not have A/C and we must keep a dehumidifier running--the humidity is so bad that if we don't have the dehumidifier on for 1 day our books start to warp from the moisture in the air! x_x But when the dehumidifier is on it makes things much less cool.

I'm not sure if the humidity or the heat would be worse for dolls. I think both are pretty bad for people. XD

 

I bought a nice curtain for their bookshelf and that's it. I haven't taken them out yet, but I am DYING to take them to the museum and parks after this heat wave is over. I hate the humidity, but I love the freedom I (usually) have in the summer so I'm definitely not concerned about them being out in the heat. I know there are risks, but I see so many people are able to scrub away some yellowing and all of my dolls are coated, so I think we'll be okay. Plus my room is around 60-85 every day, so that's not extreme heat at all.

 

Hmm... well I think after a while, the temperature inside the box would be fairly close to the temperature outside the box, so I would think they'd be just the same if you kept them clothed/wigged/eyed, but still in the (relatively) coolest (and darkest) part of the house.
And I'm certain they'd be fine if you wanted to occasionally pull one out, clothe/wig/eye them, and have some together time.

We went through one summer MY way (until recently [like last week!], we lived in Orlando, Florida), with all the windows and back door open, all the time, and I didn't notice any yellowing or fading due to that. I DID notice some sunlight sneaking in, early in the mornings that had faded my tan boys' arms... but that wasn't because of the heat or humidity.

Putting them in darkness (behind a curtain, in a closet, drawer, or wrapped in a box) will reduce sun exposure, of course, but you can't outrun yellowing.
I prefer to run with it.
I'm itching to get my guys to the gardens or zoo for some pictures soon!

 

My dolls are packed away in my closet right now, but not for this reason. However, I live in a place that is extremely hot far longer than the months of summer, so I can see trying to hide them from sun exposure/heat in the future.

 

Thanks for the responses


@Victoria Victrix - we did something similar to what you suggest last summer, but with ice on a towel. If it gets to the point we need to do that again (I am hoping it will be a mild summer) I will definitely be bring my dolls into that room! It works pretty good.

The main thing I am worried about is damage, or accelerated damage. I know they will yellow eventually, so I am more worried about their eyes melting, or their clothes staining, or even getting yellowed on the front and not on the back because of the way they were displayed. Right now my dolls are hibernating and I feel good about it, I take extreme precautions when the weather gets too much for me so I think it is only right to take some precautions for them too, even if they prove (in the end) unnecessary).

To tell the truth, I sometimes get scared by all the horror stories on DOA about how fragile our dolls are, and worry. I know most of those are extreme and specific cases but when you love something and invested a lot into it you don't want to take a chance. Especially because of the hindsight.

 

oh dear...this sounds like our place. When it is summer, this is what it is like. Only we get temps over 100F which is horribly uncomfortable. I had no idea Resin can be damaged by excessive heat. :-(

 

What's interesting about the above statement is that the longer I've been in the hobby, the less fragile they seem. I remember being really paranoid about my first doll and steadily relaxing after that. Of course that doesn't mean there aren't precautions people should take or that bjds can't be damaged, but they're a lot sturdier than they first appear. I definitely wouldn't categorize them as being really fragile. If it makes you feel any better I have a number of dolls turning four and five years old and despite being out and handled a lot, they're still in great shape.

That said, you've got to do what you think is best -- if packing them up is going to give you the most peace of mind and keep you happier, then by all means do so.

 

I'm not against this idea because I know you're just being cautious about your dolls and that's perfectly fine. But maybe you could bring them out every once in a while?

I keep my dolls in my room and I always keep the curtains closed, so it's the darkest room in the house. I have black hair so I really dislike excessive heat since it attracts sunlight xD I would take them outside though since, generally, it doesn't get too hot in my area. But even then I'd stay in the shade, lol.

 

That does make me feel better. I have only been active in the hobby for about a year (got my 1st last spring).
This is my first summer with my big girls, I bought each one after a college quarter as a reward for good grades and such, and my tiny elfdoll was a xmas present so she hasn't been here long either. The only doll I had last summer is the one that became burnt colored so I think that is where the over-cautiousness comes from.

 

I have to agree with Taco, the longer I have them, the less the horror stories affect me and my collections because over time, you learn what your dolls can and can't take. If it helps to set your mind at ease at all, my oldest doll has been with me nearly 4 years, that boy has experienced heat, humidity, full on submersion in water, freezing cold, snow, rain, air travel, large groups of under 3's 'cuddling him', my parents dogs, cats, horses, countless expos and strangers handling him, you name it that dolls seen it and he remains ENTIRELY intact. He even has his company faceup which remains completely fine and he's mellowed into a lovely creamy resintone, so there ya go, tougher than they look

As Taco also said, if it puts your mind at ease to keep them packed away, go for it, but just know that if you wanted to get them out again, I'm sure they'd be fine too

 

I only pack my dolls away when I'm going on holidays or leaving for a while.

Our appartment can get quite hot, top floor and sun on the living room big window XD Though, when closing all windows and outside curtains (don't know the word xD), it stays humanely nice indoors, though warmer than we want :p
Atm it's about 30°C here, which is rather hot, and it's been like this for quite a while.
I keep my dolls with me when indoors, just to keep my company while the bf is out :p The only thing I do is keeping them out of direct sunlight. I don't mind going outside for pics etx for a while, but not too long. I always take them in a carrier and take them out when I see a nice spot.

Temperature does indeed help the yellowing a bit ... but since it's even yellowing I don't mind too much, it's the uneven yellowing that I'm scared of. One of my dolls is horribly yellowed while wearing a shirt with one sleeve etx, and I had him with me outside (sun) for 3 days ... i wouldn't do that again I think, or maybe just with that doll again and see afterwards what I can do about the yellowing ...

 

(If this topic was already brought up, please delete. I searched and got nothing though...)

So, today I had to leave my boy in the car for about 10 minutes.
The tempuratures were about 90 or so degrees(the heat won't go away!) and I wrapped him a white cloth and set him in the shadiest/darkest part of the car. The windows were also open so there was some curculation of air, we also parked facing away from the sun and in some shade. What I'm really wondering is if this is dangerous or not. I know that exposure to heat can speed up yellowing and I really don't want that to happen any time soon. Has anyone else ever had to do this? And how long do you think a doll can go up against the sun or heat without it causing damage?