Plastic storage drawers, are they good?

[Xeogred]

I have one that looks like this:



It's convenient but a huge issue I have with it is that it doesn't seem to protect anything in it from dust at all. Heck, it looks like it attracts more dust than anything else. I've been storing controllers away in shoeboxes instead and they keep clean in those.

Are there certain brands or types of drawers that protect things inside a little better, or is that just the nature of these plastic things?

[ElkinFencer10]

I have six sets of the narrow plastic drawers that I keep stacked in three towers. One of them holds my various systems' hook-ups organized by company and the other two hold my controllers organized by generation. I agree that they're not the best for dust protection, but for things like controllers and cords where dust isn't a *huge* concern, they've served me pretty well.

[Exhuminator]

The company "Sterilite" makes a large variety of plastic storage boxes which use a locking clasp system that keeps the contents inside dust free. I use those type of Sterilite boxes for a large variety of items, including handhelds and hard drives.

Here's an example:



Like I said, they make a huge variety of shapes and sizes utilizing this enclosure type. I've seen Sterilite latching boxes sold cheaply offline at places like Walmart and Dollar General.

If you're going to store electronics in one of these boxes for a long time, you might want to invest in some silica gel packets to put in them:

[fastbilly1]

And make sure you attach them together if they seem like they will come apart. Glue it or drilling holes and cable tie them. Nothing sucks worse than having the tower come apart and everything inside go sprawling.

[Xeogred]

Those Sterilite tubs definitely look good, looks like a good choice for some loose consoles and I'm starting to pile up some harddrives and such too.

I have six sets of the narrow plastic drawers that I keep stacked in three towers. One of them holds my various systems' hook-ups organized by company and the other two hold my controllers organized by generation. I agree that they're not the best for dust protection, but for things like controllers and cords where dust isn't a *huge* concern, they've served me pretty well.

Controller dust kills me so that's something I'm trying to figure out recently too, something other than the shoebox idea haha. My main setup is in my room so I guess it gets a little dustier than a living room. So I try to only keep controllers out for systems I'm using at the moment. I have noticed the top shelf of my plastic drawers doesn't get nearly as bad as the two lower ones, so maybe I'll clear that out for controllers only.

[Exhuminator]

I'm admittedly neurotic, but I store plenty of electronics in those Sterilite tubs I linked earlier. I put folded bubble wrap in the bottom of them for cushioning, then put the stored item on top of that, and a few silica gel packs to keep it company. Then lock the latch top and you're good to go.

If you're short on cash, quart (or gallon even) sized zip lock bags make great dust repellent for controllers or consoles placed inside them. Put 'em in, zip 'em up, good to go. Dust and spill proof barrier. (But I still advise placing a silica pack inside the bag before zipping it up.)

[Xeogred]

Oh I just realized that's a pack of 50. Nice.

No shame though, I'm getting fairly meticulous about some of this stuff myself thesedays. I kind of want to keep some hand wipes around or maybe some fiber cloth for whenever I handle controllers. The buildup on them gets so nasty and annoying, 360 controllers seem to be the worst so I'm not sure if it's the material or what. The WiiU Pro is a little annoying with how smeary it gets. I want my controllers to look and feel almost new everytime I use them, but that's asking for a bit much.

[Exhuminator]

I want my controllers to look and feel almost new everytime I use them, but that's asking for a bit much.

I don't think it's asking too much. I clean my controllers meticulously all the time. I don't like gunk, even it's my own gunk.

You have to be careful about what cleaning solvent you use to clean plastics. A lot of them can be damaging. This is what I use:

http://www.windex.com/en-us/products/pa ... negar.aspx

I use that with white 100% cotton t-shirts to clean controllers, consoles, handhelds, TV screens, you name it.

To remove surface dust I recommend this:



I also recommend pure lambswool dusters as general dusting devices. They capture dust well and are washable.



You know you're getting old when you get excited about discussing cleaning tips and tricks.

[Xeogred]

That Rocket Air Blaster is hilarious. Yeah, I'm going to need all that stuff there.

I use Windex for my electronics as well and it does a good job, though I usually just use paper towels with it, but that tends to leave some fuzz and stuff when I get to the controllers. Need to get a bunch more fiber cloth so I can use that regularly instead. But, are you saying you literally just use some white t-shirts to wipe this stuff down? lol, if so... I'll have to try that out.

[Soldier Blue]

Yeah what I use are the ones by sterillite that you can pick up and stack mentioned by Exhuminator. The size I use fits almost any console perfectly and also is great for controllers..etc. I have about 10 or so, and I stack them up inside my closet.

I'd say anything to get away from using cardboard. Spiders love those. Metal, Wood, or plastic is fine for storage.