## 1 Introduction
Natural history museum collections offer both educational and entertainment value to the public, while providing a deeper insight into the biodiversity of our planet. These repositories preserve important cultural heritage from diverse fields such as Zoology, Mineralogy and Anthropology, with their significance extending beyond mere historical value. Zoology collections, in particular, can be used as datasets for biodiversity studies [15; 16], but also serve as genetic material repositories, and through the application of genomics, paleogenomics and paleoproteomics techniques provide valuable insight into the evolutionary history of the species under study [16; 17]. However, like other cultural heritage sites, these museums face the threat of biodeterioration. They house artifacts made from a plethora of materials, such as paper, leather, fur, feathers, bone, stone and wood, as well as animal specimens preserved via taxidermy, skeleton and other forms. These historical and scientific objects provide the organic and inorganic materials that fungi require to grow. This growth will consequently alter and degrade said objects, with effects that can range from aesthetic damage, namely discoloration and staining, biofouling or the complete destruction of the artifacts [4; 18; 19]. Considering these factors, any mitigation strategy for biodeterioration must address two key aspects. Prevention is essential to avoid the colonization of cultural heritage objects and artifacts. While outdoor colonization is heavily influenced by climate and location, making it challenging to control [20; 21], indoor colonization, such as in museums, largely depends on human activity. Colonization can be managed to a certain extent by controlling factors such as lighting, heating, humidity, ventilation and presence of pollutants [2; 4; 11; 21]. However, when confronted with contamination, the use of antifungal treatments is necessary. Now more than ever, researchers must prioritize green alternatives to traditional fungicides--solutions that are more compatible with both human and environmental health while minimizing adverse effects on cultural heritage. One promising option is plant essential oils (EOs). EOs are complex mixtures of both polar and non-polar natural aromatic compounds, and this complexity gives these substances an impressive versatility and a very broad spectrum of action [22]. Defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/D1S9235.2) as a product obtained from a natural raw material of plant origin by steam distillation, by mechanical processes from the epicarp of citrus fruits, by dry distillation, after separation of the aqueous phase, if any, or by physical processes, EOs are well known for their biocide potential already explored in the food and medical/pharmaceutical industries [21; 22], being capable of regulating intermediary metabolism, modulating enzymatic reactions, altering membrane structures, impacting enzyme synthesis and inhibiting sporulation and germination of fungi [22; 23]. This potential, however, has only recently started to be explored in the context of cultural heritage preservation, with studies showcasing their ability to combat fungi, bacteria and insects responsible for the degradation of cultural heritage materials [23; 24]. Regarding antimicrobial activity of EOs in the context of cultural heritage, research has been conducted to evaluate both plant EOs and individual components in mural paintings [25; 26], paper-based documents and other cellulosic materials [27; 28; 29], wooden sculptures [23], stone monuments [30], oil paintings [31], museum organic materials [29] and textiles [32], among others, with most studies focusing either on direct application or nanoparticle encapsulation of the EOs and few articles exploring the effects of the volatilized fraction of these substances [27; 33; 34]. Nevertheless, while some of these works were conducted in a museum context, to the best of our knowledge, no work has been performed in natural history museums.