Hello Diana,
We have been discussing your queriy amongst colleagues over the last
several days. Would using thin reemay sheet (polyester fleece) be an
option to consider? I have no idea how expensive this would be in the
US; in Europe it is not more expensive than good quality acid free
tissue paper, and you would not have to replace it, as it will not shift
in pH.
The two drawbacks are: Polyester will not "buffer" humidity (however I
do not know how much humidity would really be buffered by a thin tissue
paper), and in case of fire, if the object interleaved with polyester is
not right in the fire (where it will burn totally) but in the heat of an
adjacent area, polyester will melt causing a real mess. On the other
hand, in the case of flood, the tissue paper is a real mess and the
polyester will nicely separate layers of textiles...
As far as covering the outside of rolled textiles is concerned: instead
of reemay, I would suggest tyvek: completely dust-proof, water-proof as
far as droplets are concerned, but water-gas-permeable. Again, there is
the problem of fire... And you need to make sure, the type of tyvek is
correct (no additives, no antistatics, no corona no punched holes etc.).
An other option is a dense, light weight fabric like the ones used for
pillows (so the feathers won't stick through). Unfortunately, I have no
idea how you call this type of fabric in English; we call it Cambric.
Both, fabric and tyvek can be washed if necessary; tyvek can also just
be wiped with a microfibre towel to remove dust.

I am afraid, there is no one and only solution. You will have to weigh
risks and benefits of the possibilities in regard to the collection (and
ressources) concerned.
If you need more details, please don't hesitate to contact me offline.

Hoping this helps,

Karin von Lerber

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Karin von Lerber
Prevart GmbH
Oberseenerstr. 93
CH-8405 Winterthur
Tel. +41 (0)52-233 12 54
Fax. +41 (0)52-233 12 57
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
www.prevart.ch