Storage - are the plastic Lego bags airtight?

[PirateSi]

Hi all,

I am slowly collecting new sets for when my kids are bigger. I am recycling the boxes but keeping everything else sealed as it comes.

I have been trying to find out if the plastic bags Lego comes packed in are airtight or not? Will they keep the Lego safe long term from moisture? I have seen some suggestions on the Internet the air can be squeezed out but this doesn't seem to work for me.

I either need to move stuff into the attic in plastic boxes or start putting a hole In the bags to fit more in boxes in the house. I will not put instructions or stickers in the attic, just bricks in their bags.

I live in the uk so the attic doesn't have extreme temperatures and doesn't visibly suffer from moisture but it would be gutting to go back to these in years to come and find them damaged.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated, my instinct is to avoid the attic.

Thanks!

[anothergol]

I haven't paid attention to today's sets, but sets from the 80's had bags filled with holes.
This said, I've once opened a "brand new" classic space set and everything was fine, with only very very little specs of rust on the wheel axles. In contrast, the same parts that had been in my Lego's bin for 30 years were fully rusty.

[bonox]

two little points:

1. If you can't squeeze air out of the bags, then they're air-tight

2. The plastic is impervious to moisture, so keeping them air-tight is unimportant. 

 

The bags the instructions come in are just folded ends, so not air-tight, but you're not storing them in the same place as the plastic so that doesn't matter either.

[Vorkosigan]

Although the ABS is quite durable some sets contain metal or electronics (mostly trains and some technic), and many sets contain cloth in cardboard (capes, flags, sails). You may want to take a quick look at the bags and not make holes in the ones that have those sorts of parts, they are usually noticeable. Overall though you're talking about store the sets for what, 5 years? That is not long compared to many people's LEGO surviving for decades in attics and basements. 

[JamesNobles]

Nice.

[Slegengr]

On 10/4/2016 at 9:00 PM, Vorkosigan said:

Although the ABS is quite durable some sets contain metal or electronics (mostly trains and some technic), and many sets contain cloth in cardboard (capes, flags, sails). You may want to take a quick look at the bags and not make holes in the ones that have those sorts of parts, they are usually noticeable. Overall though you're talking about store the sets for what, 5 years? That is not long compared to many people's LEGO surviving for decades in attics and basements.

I second this.  

Overall, I think attics tend to be good places to store things like LEGO pieces, as they tend to be much drier than basements.  If you are really concerned, put the bags in a tub along with a desiccant to absorb moisture.  The other thing I would check are the temperatures in the attic at the hottest period of the year.  If the pieces get very hot, they may be affected.  This is not likely an issue, but you probably want to put the pieces in the coolest location possible in the attic.

[PirateSi]

Thank you all for your replies. Storage is a real problem for everyone!