These tips are from the CCAS Resources Wiki:

Photo Storage Tips by Renee

Attics and Basements - The worst places to store your photographs or documents is in an uninsulated attic or basement. In the summer, temperatures in an attic could reach 125 degrees F. while in the winter they can get down to less than 0 degrees. With the constant high temperatures and humidity in the summer and low temperatures and humidity in the winter, the photographs or documents will become brittle. In severe cases, the emulsion (image) on the photograph can separate from the base (paper). These cyclic conditions will have a devastating effect on any paper product.

Uninsulated basements are usually moist which can cause photographs to stick to each other. Another problem encountered in basements is that they are great breeding grounds for insects and rodents which are strongly attracted to gelatin and cellulose in the photographic emulsion.

The best places to store important photographs or documents are in a safe deposit box at your bank. They are usually climate controlled and kept dark to provide almost ideal storage conditions. The ideal storage conditions are 68 degrees +/- 2 degrees and 50% relative humidity +/- 5% relative humidity.

I am so guilty of storing my pics in my uninsulated basement, I have had several all stuck together! If your photos are in these conditions, get them to a safe dry place now!!!

Tags: organization, tips

This entry was posted on Friday, July 18th, 2008 at 1:37 am and is filed under Previous Posts, Tuesday Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.