Photo Storage Tips
Although we are moving more and more into the digital age as time goes on, there are still some things that are best preserved in physical condition. The prevalence of digital phone cameras and cloud storage has yet to make the physical photograph obsolete. Many people still store their memories in physical photo albums or scrapbooks to flip through when feeling sentimental. These photo books may take up a lot of space, however and often older folks may leave behind large collections of photo albums. So what do you do if you need more space in your house, or if you’ve suddenly inherited Grandma’s huge collection of photographs? Consider using self-storage for your photo storage.
How Do I Prep for Photo Storage?
Acid-Free Storage Containers
Acid, lignin, and PVC compounds are damaging to photos. In order to preserve your photos properly in albums, they should be kept in acid-free archival sleeves and page protectors. This will prevent any of the album materials from damaging the photos over time.
If you are storing photos without an album, make sure you use acid-free boxes and tissue to protect them. Placing tissue between the photos will provide extra protection and prevent them from sticking to each other. Acid-free boxes also provide an extra layer of protection from heat, humidity, and light damage.
Do not store photos in plastic bags as they contain a harmful chemical that is degrading to the photos.
Avoid Adhesives
Adhesives in scrapbooks or photo albums can also degrade photos over time. Additionally, photos that are secured to a surface in a scrapbook or album can be damaged while moving because they are stuck down an can become pinched or torn. It’s better to use archival sleeves if you want to keep your photos nice and organized in the albums. You can invest in some that have an individual pocket for each photo.
Pack Photo Storage Boxes Efficiently
If boxes of loose photos are too full, the photos may be bent or crooked in the box. This will lead to their eventual distortion over time. On the other hand, if the boxes are not full enough, photos can be damaged by getting folded or torn as they move around in the extra space of the box. If you are storing loose photos, make sure to use the tissues to separate each photo and pack them just snugly enough so that they do not move around.
Label Boxes
As you put photographs or albums in boxes, make sure to label them so you can keep track of which photos are which. This will make it easier to find what you’re looking for if you ever need to remove one from storage.
Make Digital Copies
Although having physical copies of photographs feels more sentimental to some of us, we can still leverage the digital world to our advantage. Scanning your photos into cloud storage ensures that if your photos do get damaged in storage, you will have extra copies in the cloud that you can then re-print.
How to Maintain Photos in Storage
Invest in Climate-Controlled Photo Storage
Photos are not just sensitive to certain photos. Extreme heat, cold, and humidity are all very damaging. Hot and cold can cause photos to crack and fade, while humidity can create mold or mildew. Climate-controlled storage keeps humidity and temperature at reasonable limits, which preserves photos for longer. Consider investing in a climate-controlled storage facility to keep photos more safe.
Don’t Stack Boxes too High
Photos can get very heavy when piled into boxes and photo albums. If you stack your boxes too high in a storage unit, there is a risk of them falling and damaging the photos (or you, if you happen to be in the room). You can always stack boxes to save space, but make sure they are at a safe height and not too heavy.
Check on your Stored Photos Regularly
Even if you pull out all the stops to make sure your photos stay safe in self-storage, there may still be incidences of mold or damage that crop up over time. Catching these incidences before they spread too far can help you mitigate damage as much as possible. If you have access to your facility, do a regular check of all your photos every few monhs (or at least once a year) to make sure everything is good.
Photos are one of the closest things we can get to living memories. Keeping your photos safe in storage is of the utmost importance to preserving your memories. Use our guide to keep your photos safe today.