Tips for Keeping Your Photos Protected

Physical prints of photos often serve as our only reminders of times long gone by. Though photos can last forever, they require proper care to do so. With improper care, a photo may become warped, discolored, or moldy. By practicing these tips for keeping your photos protected, you’ll hang onto your precious memories of important milestones, family members, and events for generations to come.

Control the Temperature

It’s best to store photos in an area of the home where you can control the temperature. Photos prefer room temperature storage—anything lower than 75 degrees Fahrenheit will work best. High heat causes photos to warp. Photo warping occurs when heat causes the material of the print to bend and change shape, causing damage to the image itself. If you keep the heat on in your house often, keep your printed photos far away from vents.

If you store photo prints in a storage locker or unit, be sure to choose a temperature-controlled facility. When uncontrolled, the stagnant heat of a storage unit will destroy the quality of your photos.

Humidity’s Effect on Photo Prints

Have you considered stowing your old prints away in the basement? Basement photo storage is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when you want to protect prints from damage. The basement of a home fluctuates in humidity when not properly climate controlled. Humid climates lead to a higher risk of destructive mold growing on your pictures and may result in fading and discoloration.

Another way to avoid mold and humidity damage is to keep the photos in a well-ventilated area. A stuffy, poorly maintained closet might result in damage to the image.

Photo Album Storage

While the best way to store photos for safekeeping is in sealed envelopes and sleeves, many people keep their photographic mementos in photo albums for easy access. Before you store the photos in albums, first check that the album of your choosing has acid-free sleeves. Plastic sleeves within the book that aren’t acid-free will degrade and damage your photos and may cause sticking.

Make sure you place all photos in sleeves that are the correct size. Never stuff the sleeves with too many photos, as the prints will stick together, and both photos will be damaged.

Store Photos Digitally

The best tip for keeping your photos protected is to back them up onto your computer, cloud storage, or digital storage drive, especially if they’re old and fragile. Not only will digital storage of your old images protect them in case of disaster or damage, but the digital conversion will make them easier to share with friends and family.

For high-quality digital copies, utilize a professional photo scanning service to convert photos to digital rather than scanning them yourself. The professionals at DiJiFi will provide you with clean scans that look just like the original, or they can touch up the image to restore it to its former glory.