Playing It Safe

Museums around the world employ conservators to care for prized collections, and many of their techniques can be adapted for personal home collections. Deborah Silguero, an independent conservation technician currently advising the Pacific Asia Museum, the Huntington Library and Art Collections and the San Diego Museum of Art, shopped stores such as Home Depot and Orchard Supply Hardware for the household seismic conservation materials shown here. Most cost less than $5.

For extremely valuable objects, however, Silguero suggests seeking assistance from a professional. Conservation departments at museums will often supply the names of conservation technicians and installers. Conservation consulting runs between $75 and $100 an hour; installation is $35 to $45 per hour. Says Silguero: “Even though we don’t like to think about earthquakes, a lot of people sleep better knowing that their collections are secured. And it’s a onetime expense.”