Looking after your photos

Deterioration

Environmental - Temperature and humidity greatly affect photographs and documents more than any other element. Best conditions are under 20 Celsius with a relative humidity of under 50%. High humidity is very damaging and high temperatures accelerate this.

Alternating weather conditions (High tempertures and humidity followed by cold and dry weather, followed by high tempertures, etc.) are very bad for a photos emulsion and may result in the image having cracking.

Avoid the Following

Lofts and attics - One of the worst places to store your photographs or documents is in an uninsulated loft or attic. In the summer, temperatures in a loft can reach in excess of 38C or 100F, while in the winter in the UK it can commonly see tempertures drop below 0 C or 32F.

With the changing tempertures between the summer and winter seasons, photographs can easily become brittle. In serious cases, the emulsion (image) on the photograph can become separated from the base layer (paper). These seasonal conditions can have a devastating effect on any photograph.

Basements are usually damp which commonly causes photographs to stick together. Another common problem found in cellars is that they are frequently breeding grounds for insects and rodents which given half a chance will attack the gelatin and cellulose in a photo.

The best place to keep a important photograph is in a safe deposit box at your local bank. They are normally air conditioned and kept dark - all of which provide almost ideal storage conditions. The ideal storage conditions are 19 Celsius (+/- 2 Celsius) and 50% humidity.

Wood, Paper and Paper Products - Wood and papers commonly contain harmful additives such as bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Use only paper products that are acid free.

Miscellaneous Materials - Rubber bands or rubber cement commonly contain sulphur which causes the degradation of photographic emulsions. Paper clips often abrade or scratch the surfaces of prints or negatives. Pressure sensitive tapes frequently contain acids which can accelerate the deterioration process. Any kind of ink also contains acids. Fingerprints on photos or negatives cause damage due to the oils and acids found in human skin .

Fumes and Vapors - From oil-based paints, varnishes, household chemicals, carbon monoxide (vehicles stored in garages) and photocopiers including laser copiers commonly produce levels of fumes which will eventually damage photographic materials.

SAFE STORAGE

Paper - Use only lignin free (from paper pulp), acid free, unbuffered paper. This paper should be used to store photographs or as interleaving paper in albums.

Plastics - The following materials are safe to use in storing photographs, negatives or documents: Mylar, Polyester, Polypropylene, Polyethelene and Tyvek.