You have no doubt seen silica gel even though you may not be familiar with the term. Silica gel packets are those tiny little packets that seem to be inside all types of packaging. Silica gel is a desiccant which means that it is an agent which absorbs water vapors. When silica gel packs are placed inside shoe boxes, they help to prevent leather shoes from becoming moist and covered with mildew or ruinous mold. When silica gel desiccant is used in food packaging, food items stay fresher longer and are not prone to early spoilage.

The reason that we seem to find silica gel packets in all types of packaging is because it is very harmless. Silica is the same material that is found in quartz. The gel contains numerous tiny pores that are designed to absorb and hold moisture. In essence, silica gel is a porous sand of sorts.

In addition to the food and shoe industry routinely using silica gel, silica gel packs also are used by electronic manufacturers to protect their wares from becoming damaged by moisture. You may recall opening a new stereo, tablet computer or cell phone to find a couple silica gel packets inside. These tiny packets are very lightweight and generally very cheap to buy, making them ideal for manufacturers large and small to use.

Have you ever wondered how those dried flowers for sale in stores are able to still be colorful? You guessed it! The creators of those dried flower arrangements use loose silica beads to dry the flowers very rapidly so that they maintain their vibrancy and natural shape.

Believe it or not, silica gel has been in existence since the 1600s. It was routinely used during the first world war to absorb gases and vapors inside gas mask canisters. During the second world war, silica gel was deemed very essential as it was used to keep penicillin dry and to protect all types of equipment from becoming damaged by moisture. As you are probably beginning to see, those tiny rather ominous silica gel packs that you probably have tossed out without a second thought have been used for ages and have been deemed very useful by all types of industries and manufacturers.

Silica gel is capable of absorbing up to forty percent of its weight in water vapor. This is about thirty-five percent greater than what typical desiccant clays can claim – making silica gel the desiccant of choice where weight and efficiency are important. Silica gel also has a very long shelf life if stored in airtight containers. And, because it can be reused, silica gel is suitable for all types of applications.

The next time you open a package and discover that it contains silica gel packets, you might want to hang onto them as you can reuse them. Silica gel desiccant packs can be used to keep all types of items dry ranging from clothing to cameras. The nice thing about silica gel is that it is harmless and safe for the environment. This is very important in these times we live in as more and more of us are doing what we can to lessen the carbon footprint we leave here on earth.

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