What Is Museum Gel And How Can You Use It At Home?

Have you ever wondered about what happens in a museum after an earthquake? Do the historians have to scurry from exhibit to exhibit, making sure that every single artifact is in exactly the right place, carefully readjusting even the slightest shift?

While the museum staff probably do check whether or not any items in their care have been moved or compromised, the task is a lot easier than you'd think. As it turns out, they use an incredible little substance called museum gel to hold things in place. While there are several different brands that make museum gel — presumably, each with their own degree of efficacy — the basic concept is always the same. According to A Jones For Organizing, museum gel is a clear gel that holds items down incredibly well but can also be removed whenever desired.

Considering the fact that some museums use this to keep priceless artifacts secured in display cases, you can rest assured that the gel won't damage your belongings — and will come off without a trace. Even better, the substance is available for general purchase, so you can enjoy all of its benefits in your own home.

One of museum gel's best at-home applications is keeping decor in place, especially in areas where you're prone to bump into things. Carol from A Jones For Organizing used museum gel to hold down a light vase that her cat would have otherwise loved to shatter — and the vase has been secure ever since! But even if you don't have mischievous felines at home, it can still be invaluable to know that your belongings won't get knocked around.

If you've got small children or other pets frequently running around your home, museum gel can be an amazing way to keep small hands and paws from shifting your decor around. While you may still want to keep breakables with sentimental value safely tucked away (better safe than sorry), museum gel might just be the perfect way to justify keeping decorations out — and give you some peace of mind.

Even if you don't have to worry about most of your decor being broken, museum gel can be a great way to secure small-scale decor. If you set up a miniature Christmas town every year, museum gel can help keep all the little buildings in place. Big fan of model trains? A bit of gel can make sure that the shrubbery doesn't get knocked around.

Museum gel can be incredibly flexible when dealing with decor, but that's far from the only time that it'll come in handy. Have you ever tried to organize a sliding drawer, only to find that things are a mess once it opened and closed a few times? Museum gel can come to the rescue yet again.

Depending on the depth of your drawer and how far it comes out, the simplest option may be to use some museum gel to secure containers, which you can then use to organize the drawer's contents. However, if the unit is too deep, you may find yourself straining to reach things all the way at the back. Drawers that are higher up may pose additional challenges, too. According to KitchenSeer, cabinets that are higher up are usually less deep, which should, in theory, make them easier to reach into, but the added height may pose challenges when digging to the back of the drawer. Either way, you can consider purchasing containers with lids, then using museum glue to secure the lids to the bottom of the drawer instead of gluing down the containers themselves. The bottoms of the containers should fit snugly on top of the newly secure lids but can easily be removed if you need to get to something near the back.