Why use Silica Gel?
Silica gel packets are used to absorb moisture and keep things dry. They are ideal to reuse throughout your home in places where you might be worried about excess moisture.
★Prevent fungus from growing on your camera and camera lens★
1. To save your cell phone from water damage.
2. To help keep photos safe and free from moisture.
3. To keep collectables in pristine condition.
4. To keep important documents safe.
5. To use in each container in your basement, garage, or storage unit to absorb excess moisture.
6. To help preserve your ornaments and Christmas decorations.
7. If you have a humidifier in your home, then you will need to worry about how the humidity affects your belongings.
How Do I Know When My Silica Gel is Saturated with Moisture?
Normal Silica Gel is usually white and thus difficult to know when it is saturated. This is why we use Indicative Silica Gel. These Silica Gel crystals are blue when fully active, and become pink when they are saturated with moisture. The orange version is orange fully active and turns green when saturated. The orange type is sometimes preferred as the chemical used to show moisture content may be less toxic.
Is Silica Gel Toxic?
No, Silica Gel is not toxic, but you should of course not try to eat/ingest it, or mix it nor keep it near edible items. Also keep it away from children, eyes, etc. In short, treat it with enough respect and you will be safe. Wash your hands after touching them.
The Cobalt Chloride used in blue>pink indicative Silica Gel has been classified as hazardous if inhaled or ingested, so if you’re using indicative Silica Gel, don’t inhale the dust from the crystals. The Orange > Green Silica Gel is considered safe for use.
How to Recharge the Silica Gel
(Remember it is usually not a good idea to use your oven/microwave which is used for cooking to also use for recharging silica gels. If you want to recharge silica gels it is best to use an oven that you will not use for cooking purposes. Why take the risk on your health? You can always buy a new bottle from us or anywhere else.)
- Spread the crystals across the bottom of a bake-safe oven dish (you can use aluminium foil if you prefer to keep it off the dish itself). Spread them evenly and less than an inch deep in the dish.
- Place the dish in an oven and heat it to 120°C for 1–2 hours.
- Leave the Silica Gel crystals in the oven for a while, until they release the trapped water from within them, and revert to their original blue or orange colour. Once they’re blue (or orange), the Silica Gel is Recharged and Restored to its capacity.
- Note that the chemical that actually indicates the water in the silica gel crystals is a little more sensitive, and will most likely turn blue before the Silica Gel is fully refreshed. This is why we suggest leaving the crystals in the oven for a while longer after the crystals turn blue / orange.
- Allow the crystals to cool down before you touch them, and then restore them to their perforated containers in your camera bag or cabinet.
- Store them before use, in an airtight container so that they don’t absorb moisture from the atmosphere.
Some people say that you can use a microwave oven to recharge Silica Gel, however, we recommend against it. Most domestic microwave ovens need something inside to absorb the microwave energy, otherwise, it reflects back and can damage the magnetron. Silica gel, especially when it is dry, is not good enough. Also, you may only be correcting the indicating chemical but not fully recharging the silica.
Silica gel has a highly porous structure. Water vapour permeates the structure and adsorbs onto the internal surfaces. To remove it effectively takes time as well as temperature.
The correct regeneration method for silica gel is to heat them in a conventional oven set at 120°C for several hours. The temperature must be more than 100°C , but certainly no more than 150°C .
