Albums and photographs serve as tangible representations of one’s most cherished memories. If such memories were to be erased, damaged or lost due to negligence or some other related issue it would be tragic.
Both old and new pictures should be stored in a careful and safe manner in order to ensure that they last a lifetime.
If you want to pass down your memories to your loved ones and future generations then there are a few questions you need to consider. First, you will need to decide the best way to store your photographs.
You also need to determine what steps you need to take to ensure that your photographs do not deteriorate over time.
Here, we will provide tips that will help you properly pack your photographs and photo albums for storage.
Get Your Photos Organized
If you want to properly secure your photos then the first step you will need to take is organizing them. You may have photographs strewn around the walls of your home and in many different closets and cupboards.
You may have even stored several in boxes, storage lockers and perhaps even storage facilities located miles away.
Go through your house and various storage outlets and organize all of your photographs. You may also want to categorize your photographs in an order of your choosing. A fun and effective way to sort and organize your photos is to get your family and friends involved.
You can think of it as a fun bonding experience that will allow you to look back fondly on some of your greatest moments in life.
Where should I keep my photos for safekeeping?
When you are archiving your most cherished photographs there are a few things you may want to consider first. For example, protection that includes humidity control can help protect your photos.
Debris and dust protection will also help keep your photos glossy and beautiful for decades to come. Additionally, we would suggest that you also obtain protection against both low and hot temperatures to ensure a stable temperature.
Climate-controlled units can drastically slow down the deterioration process. They include superb air circulation to ensure that your photos remain sharp with minimal to no colour fading.
How to Pack Photographs For a Long Time
Photographs should be removed carefully from their frames to ensure that your frames don’t break and cause glass to shatter all over the floor.
Your remaining frames should be wrapped with a sufficient amount of bubble wrap, towels, or blankets so that they will not be crushed by larger and heavier items.
As for the albums themselves, we would suggest that you use albums that have photo corners, sheet protectors or sleeves that are acid-free. Leather albums are a good choice as they will not attract cloth-eating pests, like moths.
Printed photos can also be damaged by adhesives. The quality of printed photographs can be impacted by acids that hide in adhesives, so try and avoid adhesives whenever possible.
Also, the boxes that you choose to pack your photographs should be large enough to house your photos. Take measurements if you need to, as you do not want your photos to get crushed or squeezed together.
Boxes should also be labelled before you store them, as you do not want to become lost or confused in the event that you decide to unpack your albums in the future.
How to Choose a Suitable Storage Unit
The only way to ensure optimal protection is to store your photo albums and photos in a state of the art storage unit. Even a slight increase in humidity or heat can ruin your beautiful photos.
We would suggest that you choose a climate-controlled storage unit to store your photos and photo albums in pristine conditions.
A storage unit that is climate controlled will maintain a constant temperature regardless of external or internal elements or factors.
Preserving Precious Memories
We would recommend that you make backup copies of each and every photo that you own just to be safe. Accidents do happen and you do not want to risk the permanent destruction of your most precious memories by not saving backups.
Moreover, in the event that your storage space is damaged in a fire or is broken into by thieves, you can save all of your photos in the cloud. Making digital copies of all of your physical photos is a very easy, convenient, quick and safe process, thanks to recent advances in technology.
In fact, professional restorers are skilled enough to recreate all of your old photos without losing any of their lustre or beauty if you so desire.
Source:
How to Store Old Photos and Preserve Precious Memories (lifestorage.com)