Any way to do safe long term storage in damp basement?

I just bought a 100 year old house. The basement looks like a dungeon, basically something like this



These old stone and mortar walls let in moisture and I expect the basement to be something of a dingy space with higher humidity and a wider temperature swing than the more modern areas of the house. I also get all 4 seasons where I live, so there could be high humidity in the summer, or significant cold temperatures in the winter, and maybe water on the concrete floor from snow melting in the spring.

I imagine stuff I put down there, such as plastic or wood items like video games cartridges, cardboard boxes, CDs, manuals etc could get dingy/meldewy if I stored them in this basement just out on shelves. But do you suppose that if I were able to put the items into air tight containers, like vacumn sealed bags or some kind of air tight rubbermaid type of thing that they might be ok to store in the basement during the year? If the container is truly air tight, then it seems logical to me that the humidity inside would not increase, mold would not grow on the items and the items would not pick up the musty smell of the basement...

I'll be keeping stuff on the main levels for sure while I continue to research this, but the house is very small and just to keep it a less cluttered place, it would definitely be ideal if I could use the basement for some storage, if not for video game items, then for other similar stuff that I wouldn't want to get moldy and disintegrate such as books, wall hangings, clothes, toys/collectibles.

 

Well sealed containers and silica gel, I used to be a coin collector and humidity was a concern. Just make sure to get the indicator type like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001EJIX...t=&hvlocphy=9030959&hvtargid=pla-307217409740

 

If you want it suitable to store items long term then I would invest some money and have the space converted, with proper in and out vents for distributing new air into the room and removing the old damp air, then use decent sealed containers.

Personally I wouldnt like to just put stuff down there and hope for the best, most basements are very damp and the air contains a lot of moisture which will get into any cardboard boxes etc. very quickly

The other advantage of doing the room properly would be that you could turn it into a proper games room if you wanted and not just for storage.

Just my 2p

 

Well the space does have windows so I could always have those open somewhat so the air isn't stagnant though that could add humidity during a humid summer. I don't think finishing the basement is a good idea with these old stone foundations. The foundation needs to be accessible so that the mortar that cracks or turns to dust over time can be replaced, so that rules out adding drywall and insulation to create modern construction walls. Even if I did put that up, i think this type of foundation is porous and dampness that gets in would generate mold on the insulation and side of the drywall that's facing the foundation, so I don't think this space can ever be turned into proper living space.

 

Depending on how much stuff you have that you're serious about, how about putting up a kind of smaller room-within-a-room to keep the worst of it out? Think "large plywood box". Maybe also put a dehumidifier in there for good measure. Kind of a poor man's climate controlled cupboard.