I recently met a client during an in-home appraisal evaluation session who had raised six sons in a house with a pristine, fragile and valuable collection of antique glassware. Her ability to have boys share a house with fragile stemware prompted me to share my tips for protecting your valuables.

Valuable objects undefined art, antiques and collectibles undefined have to live in a stable environment in order to remain in good condition. Here are some tips for keeping your home and your stuff in tip-top, clutter-free shape:

• Do serious cleaning first. Clean up the kind of dirt that comes in from outside, like mud on your shoes, germs that can grow if you leave food out overnight and the like.