Never Do These 3 Things To Your Old Photos.

My 2x2 photo slides are on their way to Arizona to digmypics.com. I'm anxious to say the least. If you've not heard my story about finding a family's vacation photos, you can click here to read more.

This fear of the story ending right here has prompted me to think about all of the the old 4x6 and 5x7 photo prints I have. You know, the ones we all have tucked away in a plastic tote or an old drawer, in an album or still in the department store envelopes, the ones that are in frames all around our house. Personally, mine are in my garage right now. That is not OK.

Here are three things you should NEVER do to your old photos.

1.) Store them in a Garage or Attic (or any place where temperature changes drastically or is moisture laden).

Quite a bit of photo paper out there is made from compounds sensitive to extreme temperature change and moisture. Garages and attics are common places to store photos, but can expose them to damaging elements.

2.) Keep them in an album.

Many photo albums contain or produce small amounts of glue or paper that are slightly acidic and can damage photos over time. Find a photo album that reads "acid-free"or "archival safe" to keep your photos from being damaged. Be careful of photo albums with plastic too, as some contain polymerizing vinyl (polyvinyl) chloride or PVC. This can produce hydrochloric acid.

3.) Frame them.

You're getting the drift. Many frames also contain or produce small amounts of acidic compounds. Find a frame that reads "acid-free" or "archival safe".

I have old photos stretching back to the late-1800s and I want to make sure they stay safe. This journey of finding out about a family I don't know from a set of photo slides has made me think twice about how I will preserve my own photos. Yes, above is my garage where I am currently storing several hundred photos. Yes, above is a small photo album that I assume probably isn't safe from elements AND is probably acid-producing PVC. And yes, that is a photo frame from Sweden with my baby's photo. Probably not acid-free.

At least I've got a project to work on until digmypics.com finishes with the 2x2 mystery dinner theater slides.

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