Rain, water, moisture… We can usually miss it like a toothache. And that also applies to your protective packaging. So depending on the goods you are sending, it is interesting, or even essential, to use desiccant bags. They are an extra guarantee that your products will reach their final destination in good condition. Read here how to best use these bags.
What are desiccant bags?
Drying bags have one main purpose: to absorb water. You often find them in packages with food or clothing. They ensure that your products are not damaged by moisture or corrosion.
Drying bags are available in many different sizes. There are small bags only a few centimeters wide that are barely noticeable. But there are also large drying bags that are hung in a container per chainset. They keep the humidity level inside the container low enough to transport your goods by sea or rail safely.
How do desiccant bags work?
The dehydrating properties of these pouches are due to two important minerals: clay and silica gel.
► Clay is the most economical and environmentally friendly desiccant. It is a 100% natural substance and therefore non-toxic. The clay used for these purposes has a high attraction to moisture. Unlike silica gel, clay also offers good protection against a second culprit: corrosion. Because of this, clay is most often used in these sectors:
- Mechanics,
- Maritime transport.
► Silica gel, in turn, is an artificially developed desiccant that was first patented in 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It is not a gel but a fine grain of silicon dioxide. Silica gel is currently the desiccant with the highest moisture absorbing capacity on the market. However, even when these desiccant bags are saturated with moisture, they still feel dry. Silica gel is used, among other things, when sending:
- Clothing,
- pharmaceutical products,
- foodstuffs,
How do you use desiccant bags?
The amount of desiccant bags depends on the size of your packaging: the larger the box and the product, the more desiccant you need. To ensure the proper functioning of the desiccant, it is also recommended to put your product in a foil or bag that can be made airtight. Dry bags based on clay and silica gel are also reusable. After 1 transport, you can simply use the bag from one packaging to the other.
If a bag with silica gel is wet and damp, you can easily reuse it by heating it up for an hour in a dish between +120 °C and +150 °C. Its moisture-absorbing properties are as good as new!
Where does desiccant come in handy?
We have already discussed the use of desiccants in the packaging sector. But their first applications were elsewhere. Silica gel, for example, was first widely used during World War II. The US military then used it to keep penicillin dry. But history has taught us that you can do a lot more with it. You can also use them to:
- eliminate bad odors in a room;
- keep the clothes in your closet dry;
- prevent condensation on windows;
- prevent the growth of bacteria and mold in the bathroom or in a gym bag;
- keep food fresher for longer;
- preserve the glory of old photos.
And if your smartphone has fallen into the water… Don’t worry! Because even then, a desiccant bag with silica gel is the ideal remedy. So is there a bag of silica gel in the next webshop package that you receive? Then keep it up to date, because as you can see it will come in handy elsewhere in the house.
