Container desiccant: essential for your shipments

Rain, water, humidity. We try to stay away from them often. The same goes for how you package your products. Depending on the goods you are shipping, it is then interesting, even essential, to use container desiccant. Learn how to best use these sachets here.

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

Container desiccants are available in many sizes. There are small sachets a few centimeters wide that would go almost unnoticed. But larger container desiccant 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 that is used for these things is very good at soaking up water. Unlike silica gel, clay also protects against a second enemy.

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. Silica gel is the best desiccant for absorbing water on the market right now. 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.

How to use them?

How many anti-humidity sachets you need depends on the size of your protective packaging. If your box and product are big, your anti-humidity sachet needs to be big, too. To make sure the desiccant works well, it's also a good idea 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. During World War II, for example, a lot of silica gel was used. 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.
• Prevent the growth of bacteria in the bathroom or a sports bag.

If your phone falls into the water. Do not 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.

• 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 properties.