<p>If you don't want to use silica beads, or can't get any (it seems to be a very American thing, you can't buy any here in France except if you go through a specialized reseller), you can put them in a sealable plastic box with one of those big <a href="https://www.leroymerlin.fr/v3/p/produits/absorbeur-d-humidite-avec-galet-perce-1-galet-gratuit-axton-20-m2-e1501491079" rel="nofollow noreferrer">desiccants for rooms</a>.</p>

<p>That's what I use for my Nylon and PVA from Ultimaker and it works like a charm. It keeps humidity at about 25% inside the plastic box, and I even managed to save a roll of PVA by letting rest in a box with one of these for a couple weeks.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-25T21:13:57.410Z
2018-09-25T21:13:57.410Z
Sava
<p>What's the best way (outside of silica beads) to store filament sensitive to moisture? I feel like filament buried under a couple pounds of rice will stay pretty dry. 
    I understand that frequently  exposing the rice to humid air will cause the rice to less effective but I would only plan on opening the container to put a new spool in and replace the old one.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-24T11:11:05.097Z
What kind of filament? PLA is pretty much unaffected by moisture, ABS endures reasonably outside, Nylons need a drybox and are best printed from the box through a bowden tube into a bowden extruder with little to no exposure to air... Storage is filament dependant.
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-24T11:39:08.440Z
[Rice isn't actually a very good desiccant.](http://www.lsl.usu.edu/files/Angela-Hayden-poster.pdf) See also [Gazelle’s Guide to Water Damage: The Truth About Rice, the Galaxy and Everything](https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/2014/05/06/gazelles-guide-water-damage-truth-rice-galaxy-everything/).
Tom van der Zanden
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-24T15:04:52.853Z
@TomvanderZanden - While rice would not be optimal (compared to silica beads), it's a lot better than nothing (even by the links you've given) and is a lot cheaper/easier to obtain. I'd agree, though, silica beads as a descant isn't all that expensive and most of the factory sealed filament packages come with a packet in them already.
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-24T15:08:40.030Z
Have you guys ever had a cellphone in a bag of rice? The filament would be completely covered and dusty in a container that's hardly opened. I'll have to try it out.
Chris Manning
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-24T16:08:06.023Z
@ChrisManning Nothing personal, but there are much better desiccants out there. If you are hard-strapped, even Sodium Chloride (aka "salt") is better than rice. The benefit is, that salt dust - unlike rice shavings - don't contain sugar and burn in the hotend but are instead are pretty inert. look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_desiccants for other alternatives.
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-24T16:11:42.303Z
You might make this a proper question if you'd put the scope on "What kind of cheap, household available desiccant could be used to keep my filament dry"?
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-24T18:07:36.223Z
@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Actually, it *could* be worse than nothing if the filament is more hygroscopic than the rice. The filament could end up pulling water out of the rice.
Tom van der Zanden
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-25T04:15:39.897Z
Anyone have any suggestions for vacuum bags? I feel like the most efficient solution is to go ahead and use the desicants with a good vacuum bag. I'm assuming it will last the longest vs a tub.
Chris Manning
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-09-25T16:23:19.013Z
I like this question, and there isn't a specific question like this, as such, although (as Carl suggests) this [answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1399/any-fix-for-pla-prints-getting-more-brittle-over-time#answer-1400) to [Any fix for PLA prints getting more brittle over time?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1399/any-fix-for-pla-prints-getting-more-brittle-over-time) does appear to address the issue. However, that answer addresses PLA. Is this the filament type that you are asking about?
Greenonline
<filament><filament-quality>
Filament storage?
Chris Manning
# Filament storage?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-09-24)

What's the best way (outside of silica beads) to store filament sensitive to moisture? I feel like filament buried under a couple pounds of rice will stay pretty dry.
I understand that frequently exposing the rice to humid air will cause the rice to less effective but I would only plan on opening the container to put a new spool in and replace the old one.

**Tags:** filament, filament-quality
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What kind of filament? PLA is pretty much unaffected by moisture, ABS endures reasonably outside, Nylons need a drybox and are best printed from the box through a bowden tube into a bowden extruder with little to no exposure to air... Storage is filament dependant.  
> **username_2**: [Rice isn't actually a very good desiccant.](http://www.lsl.usu.edu/files/Angela-Hayden-poster.pdf) See also [Gazelle’s Guide to Water Damage: The Truth About Rice, the Galaxy and Everything](https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/2014/05/06/gazelles-guide-water-damage-truth-rice-galaxy-everything/).  
> **username_3**: @TomvanderZanden - While rice would not be optimal (compared to silica beads), it's a lot better than nothing (even by the links you've given) and is a lot cheaper/easier to obtain. I'd agree, though, silica beads as a descant isn't all that expensive and most of the factory sealed filament packages come with a packet in them already.  
> **username_0**: Have you guys ever had a cellphone in a bag of rice? The filament would be completely covered and dusty in a container that's hardly opened. I'll have to try it out.  
> **username_1**: @ChrisManning Nothing personal, but there are much better desiccants out there. If you are hard-strapped, even Sodium Chloride (aka "salt") is better than rice. The benefit is, that salt dust - unlike rice shavings - don't contain sugar and burn in the hotend but are instead are pretty inert. look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_desiccants for other alternatives.  
> **username_1**: You might make this a proper question if you'd put the scope on "What kind of cheap, household available desiccant could be used to keep my filament dry"?  
> **username_2**: @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Actually, it *could* be worse than nothing if the filament is more hygroscopic than the rice. The filament could end up pulling water out of the rice.  
> **username_0**: Anyone have any suggestions for vacuum bags? I feel like the most efficient solution is to go ahead and use the desicants with a good vacuum bag. I'm assuming it will last the longest vs a tub.  
> **username_4**: I like this question, and there isn't a specific question like this, as such, although (as Carl suggests) this [answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1399/any-fix-for-pla-prints-getting-more-brittle-over-time#answer-1400) to [Any fix for PLA prints getting more brittle over time?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1399/any-fix-for-pla-prints-getting-more-brittle-over-time) does appear to address the issue. However, that answer addresses PLA. Is this the filament type that you are asking about?  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-09-25. Score: 1

If you don't want to use silica beads, or can't get any (it seems to be a very American thing, you can't buy any here in France except if you go through a specialized reseller), you can put them in a sealable plastic box with one of those big [desiccants for rooms](https://www.leroymerlin.fr/v3/p/produits/absorbeur-d-humidite-avec-galet-perce-1-galet-gratuit-axton-20-m2-e1501491079).

That's what I use for my Nylon and PVA from Ultimaker and it works like a charm. It keeps humidity at about 25% inside the plastic box, and I even managed to save a roll of PVA by letting rest in a box with one of these for a couple weeks.


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