Handle With Care: Protecting Your Original Family Photos (Before & After Scanning)
You've decided to digitize your photos – fantastic! But what about the originals? While digital backups are crucial for long-term security and access, preserving the physical photos, prints, negatives, and slides often holds immense sentimental value. Plus, future technologies might allow for even better scans someday!
Whether you're preparing photos for scanning or storing them safely afterwards, proper handling and storage techniques are vital to prevent further damage and keep these tangible pieces of your Western New York history safe.
Handling 101: Keep Your Mitts Off (Mostly!)
Clean Hands Always: Wash and thoroughly dry your hands before handling photos. Oils and lotions from your skin are acidic and can cause permanent damage over time.
Handle by the Edges: Avoid touching the image surface whenever possible. Hold prints, negatives, and slides carefully by their edges.
White Cotton Gloves (Optional but Recommended): For handling particularly valuable or fragile photos, clean, white cotton archival gloves provide an extra layer of protection against fingerprints and oils.
Work Area: Use a clean, dry, flat surface. Avoid eating, drinking, or smoking nearby.
No Paperclips, Rubber Bands, or Tape! These are photo enemies! Metal clips can rust and indent photos. Rubber bands decay, become brittle, and can stick to or stain photos. Tape adhesive damages surfaces and yellows over time. Use acid-free paper strips or archival envelopes/sleeves for grouping instead.
Pencil Power: If you need to write identification on the back of a modern resin-coated (RC) print, use a soft graphite pencil (like a No. 2) very lightly. Never use ballpoint or felt-tip pens, as the ink can bleed through or indent the photo. Avoid writing on the back of old fiber-based prints or fragile photos. Instead, write info on the archival sleeve or enclosure.
Storage Strategies: Location, Location, Location (and Materials!)
Where and how you store your photos matters immensely.
Cool: Heat accelerates chemical decay. Avoid attics, garages, or near heat sources. Aim for consistently cool room temperatures (ideally below 70°F).
Dry: High humidity promotes mold growth and can cause photos to stick together. Basements are often too damp (especially in Buffalo!). Aim for relative humidity between 30-50%. Use a dehumidifier if necessary.
Dark: Light (especially sunlight/UV) causes fading. Store photos in boxes, drawers, or closets away from direct light.
Stable: Avoid locations with drastic temperature or humidity fluctuations. Interior closets on main floors are often the best bet in a typical home.
Elevated: Keep boxes off the floor to protect against potential minor flooding or spills.
The Containers: Material Matters!
Use Archival Quality Materials: This is CRUCIAL. Look for materials labeled "acid-free," "lignin-free," and "PAT" (Photographic Activity Test passed). These materials won't leach harmful chemicals onto your photos. Avoid cheap cardboard boxes or plastic containers not designed for photos.
Boxes: Archival storage boxes made of acid-free board are ideal. Store prints vertically (like files in a drawer) if possible, with archival dividers between groups. Don't over-pack boxes.
Sleeves & Envelopes: Store individual prints, negatives, or small groups in archival plastic sleeves (polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene – avoid PVC!) or acid-free paper envelopes. This provides protection from dust, handling, and environmental pollutants.
Albums: If using albums, choose ones with archival-quality pages and materials. Avoid old "magnetic" albums with sticky pages and plastic overlays – these are notorious for damaging photos! If photos are stuck in bad albums, consider consulting a professional or carefully researching removal techniques (dental floss sometimes works). If removal is too risky, scan them in the album.
After Scanning: Continuing the Care
Organize Physically (Mirroring Digital?): Consider organizing your physical photos similarly to your digital archive (e.g., by decade in labeled archival boxes). This makes finding a specific original easier if needed.
Prioritize Storage: If space is limited, prioritize giving the best archival storage conditions to your most valuable, oldest, or most fragile originals.
Keep Negatives & Slides: Store these carefully in archival sleeves or pages designed for them. They often contain more detail than prints and are valuable masters.
Need help creating the digital counterpart safely and quickly? Our Buffalo-based service uses careful handling and professional equipment to digitize your photos, providing enhanced digital copies in about 7 days.
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