Storing objects in sealed plastic bags

I am seeking some advice on storing collection in polyethylene bags.
We have recently had a clothes moth infestation and had to freeze
our entire textiles store.  As a result, all of our collection still
currently remains in polyethylene bags.  We had planned to unbag all
collection items, but at the moment, keeping the items bagged is the
highest level of protection we have against pests as the building is
not yet clean.  Thus, we are considering keeping collection in bags
for as long as possible as prevention against infestation.

I understand certain materials such as plastics and rubbers are best
not kept in plastic bags so as not to encourage microclimates to
occur and we are planning to keep these kind of collection items
unbagged.  For items that are less vulnerable to off-gassing, such
as textiles, we are interested to see if we can keep these stored in
plastic for as long as possible, even permanently.  Does anyone have
any knowledge or experience in storing collection sealed in plastic,
or do the cons of this outweigh the pros?  I'm also interested in
knowing if specific plastic bag materials last longer than others
before they start to degrade or if there is specific polyethylene
(or other) that should be used.

Please let me know if anyone has any information on this or any
experience.

Eliza McKenna
Preventive Conservation
Collection Services
+61 2 6206 9822
Fax: +61 2 6206 9822
Australian War Memorial
GPO Box 345
Canberra ACT 2601


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:44
                   Distributed: Friday, April 8, 2016
                       Message Id: cdl-29-44-020
                                  ***