Want to archive and protect your photos? You can properly store your photos to protect them from damage or yellowing. If you don’t want to do without hanging up your photos, photo frames are ideal.
Flexible packaging: Here’s how to store and preserve photos
You should never store photos in the basement or attic. Photo albums are also usually dangerous for your pictures. The most important factors for safe storage are:
- The container
- Humidity
- The temperature
- Acidity in the air
- The light exposure
Where should you store photos?
Only use protective packaging with the PAT (Photographic Activity Test) certificate for storing your photos. Depending on the size and number of photographs, the special archive boxes are available for an affordable price.
PAT certified boxes and photo albums are free from acids that will damage your photos. It is absolutely necessary to avoid inserts made of plastic, as the photos in them “sweat” and become damp. You need to go with flexible packaging so you can store your photos for a long time.
Flexible packaging: Pay attention to the following points when packing
- Packaging with PAT certificate
- No plastic inserts
- No material made of polyethene and vinyl
- Polypropylene and polyester materials are not harmful
- No rubber bands or paperclips for fixation
- Keep separate from other acidic reminders (newspaper articles, letters, etc.)
How high can the humidity be?
The ideal humidity is 30 percent. 45 percent humidity should also not be exceeded.
The higher the humidity, the softer the layer on your photos and pollutants can more easily damage the image. At over 60 percent humidity there is a risk of mould growth.
So basements are the wrong place to store your photos.
At what temperature should you store photos?
The ideal temperature at home is 15 degrees Celsius, with a maximum of 16 degrees Celsius. If you want to keep the pictures for several decades, you should store the photos at a constant two degrees Celsius. As a general rule, the cooler the room temperature, the longer the photos will last.
Also, avoid temperature fluctuations of more than two degrees.
If you have particularly valuable photos, you have to store them professionally in an archive and under perfect conditions.
