Off-gassing is a natural process where a manufactured item releases gasses or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were trapped during the manufacturing process including gun holsters, mats or carpeting materials inside a gun safe, and even insulation.  Off-gassing releases these compounds or causes them to build up when:

  • Heat is present and causes them to evaporate.  This is similar goldenrods heatting the air in a safe to reduce moisture by making it circulate through and out of the gun safe.
  • There is a lack of ventilation and the VOCs build up vs. circulating out of the space or through the vents of the gun safe.
  • The structure of the item begins the natural process of degrading and wearing down.
  • Items are exposed to UV light or radiation which begins breaking the chemical bonds of the material releasing the VOCs.

It is a natural process for manufactured materials and you cannot stop it, but you can prevent the VOCs from condensing by having proper ventilation and air circulation.  And that leaves the question, can a build up of VOCs from off-gassing hurt the items inside your safe or cause corrosion?

The short answer is yes, some VOCs may cause corrosion for synthetic rubbers, surface coatings, textiles, and resins.  This study from the Polish Journal of Environmental Sciences measured more than 20 VOCs that come from natural upholstery leathers, which can be similar to the ones used for a gun holster.  The list includes formaldehyde, toluene, and xylenes which all have the ability to corrode metals like the ones firearms and gun safes are made from.

The good news is that if your safe has proper ventilation and air circulation, the VOCs can escape and will likely not cause damage, at least not as quickly.  The damage will take time to happen, and you have plenty of opportunities to stop it, so don’t panic.  You can store your holster in your gun safe for a couple days and it won’t off-gas enough VOCs to damage your firearms or the safe.  

With that said, storing manufactured goods for extended periods of time and with cheap or bad materials like padding and mats that off-gas, and without proper ventilation, can lead to corrosion.  Some gun safe manufacturers use insulation which off-gasses and can corrode safes, so always read the product specifications and materials used if this is a concern.

Off-gassing is a naturally occurring process for manufactured goods, and can be amplified by storing more manufactured goods like treated leather inside a gun safe.  As long as you have ventilation and check for issues like corrosion, you should be fine.