Desiccants Will Handle Moisture Exposure

If you are going to be shipping products which could be ruined by moisture, you need to make sure that you are doing everything that you can to make sure that they stay dry. One way to do that is to use some kind of desiccant packet. There are a variety of things that you can use as desiccants. 

Desiccants

A desiccant is a hygroscopic material. That means that it attracts and absorbs moisture and water. It will hold onto and contain the moisture. An example of this is sugar. If you leave your sugar in a humid area, it will start to attract the water in that area and turn sticky. If you combine enough sugar and water, the sugar will dissolve, but a humid area and sugar means sticky sugar. While sugar is an effective desiccant, it really isn't a practical one or even the most powerful one. You don't want to ship your products with packets of sugar, because sticky sugar attracts other problems. There are better ones that you can use. 

Silica Gel

Silica gel is probably the most common desiccant that is used for various products. The gel is formed into little beads and put into packets. Silica, which is a naturally occurring substance, can be used to ship various food stuffs as well as things like shoes, paints, or any other product. Silica is very effective. It really likes to pull in the water around it, and it can work in a wide range of temperatures, so it doesn't matter if the products go through a range of temperature in the shipping process. You can also get indicating silica gel. This is basically the same product, except that when the beads were formed, color was added. The beads are one particular color when they start out, but as they absorb water, they change colors. This can be a good sign that that the product was exposed to too much moisture in the shipping process. It can also be a way to keep track of moisture in a product that is in use. Every time you open the container, more moisture gets added into the product, so the color will change.

Making sure that your product is dry can mean the difference between a happy customer and one who wants their money back. Desiccants can help to ward off damage by moisture and keep your product looking the way that it should. 

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