Container desiccants: essential for your shipments

Rain, water, humidity, we often try to avoid them. And the same goes for your packaging. However, depending on the goods you are shipping, it is then interesting, even essential, to use container desiccant. They also guarantee that your products will reach their final destination in good condition. Learn how to best use these sachets here.

What are anti-humidity sachets? Moisture-wicking sachets have only one purpose: to absorb water. They are often found in food or clothing packaging. They ensure that your products are not damaged by humidity or corrosion.

Moisture-wicking bags are available in many sizes. There are small sachets a few centimeters wide that would go almost unnoticed. But larger bags also hang on a chain in a container. They keep the humidity inside the container low enough to transport your goods safely by sea or rail.

How do moisture-wicking bags work? 

These sachets' dehydrating properties are attributed to 2 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 strong ability to absorb moisture. Unlike silica gel, clay also protects against a second enemy: corrosion. Therefore, clay is most often used in such sectors:

• the mechanic,
• sea ​​transport.

Silica gel, on the other hand, is a desiccant artificially developed and patented in 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is not a gel but a fine grain of silicon dioxide. Silica gel is currently the desiccant with the best absorption properties on the market. Even when these moisture-wicking pouches are saturated, they stay dry to the touch. Silica gel is used for sending, among other things:

• textile,
• pharmaceutical products,
• foodstuffs,
• electronic products.

1. How to use them?

The number of anti-humidity sachets to use depends on the size of your packaging: the larger the box and the product, the larger your anti-humidity sachet will also need to be. To ensure the proper functioning of the desiccant, it is also advisable to use a film or an airtight bag. Clay and silica gel desiccants are also reusable. So you can use the sachet from one packaging to another.

If it still happens that a sachet of silica gel is still wet, simply place them in the oven in a suitable dish at +120 to +150°C for 1 hour. Its absorption properties will then be just like new!

But where else? 

We have already discussed the use of desiccants in the packaging industry. But their first applications were elsewhere. Silica gel, for example, was first used on a large scale during World War II. The US military used it at the time to keep penicillin dry. But history has taught us that they have many other uses:

• Eliminate bad odors in a room.
• Keep the clothes in your closet dry.
• Avoid condensation on windows.
• Keep food fresh longer.
• Preserve old photos.

And if your smartphone has fallen into the water. Don't worry! Moisture-wicking sachets are also the ideal remedy. Is there a sachet of silica gel in the packaging of your next e-commerce order? Save it because, as you can see, it's useful all over the house.

What you need to remember about moisture-wicking bags

• There are 2 types of minerals for sachets: clay and silica gel.
• Both materials are non-toxic and absorb water very well.
• The silica gel sachets are easy to reuse and can be placed in the oven for 1 hour to recover their absorption property. They are used in many places in your home.

PRO TIP: Get in touch with protective packaging company like Britwrap, to buy best protective packaging all over the UK.