Photo Safety

The first thing of importance when considering photo safety is to understand what photographs need to be safe from. Here are some of the key things that can damage your photographs and albums.

Too Much or Improper Handling
No matter how gentle you are with your photographs, some amount of damage can still occur just because you handle them. Your best bet is to mount them on album pages in such a way that the pages are handled, but the actual photographs are not. Using page protectors can keep stray fingers and objects from damaging your finished album pages.

Dust
Dust may seem soft, but it is really quite scratchy. If your photographs are exposed to dust, the dust can leave tiny scratches on the photos. You'll want to choose a storage environment that minimizes dust exposure.

Heat
Your photographs like a temperate environment. Do not store photos in a hot place, such as an attic. Heat speeds up chemical processes and causes paper to decay more quickly. Photos appreciate air conditioning just like you do.

Bright Light
Exposure to light for extended periods of time can cause your photographs to fade. Like heat, ultra-violet radiation can speed up chemical reactions that harm paper and photographs. Because photographs are printed on light-sensitive materials, they cannot be made completely stable. You can minimize light exposure by choosing a storage location for your albums away from windows. Some albums can be purchased with album sleeves. A sleeve is a box that the entire album fits inside. This eliminates the ability of light to seep in. It is also a good dust protector.

Moisture and Humidity
Humidity causes harm in a couple of ways. Humidity levels above seventy percent promote the growth of mold. On the other hand, rapid changes in humidity can also damage paper. Such fluctuations in humidity cause paper to "cycle", expanding and contracting as water is drawn from and goes back into the paper fibers.

Acid
Acid causes paper to slowly turn brown and become brittle. Eventually acidic paper will disintegrate and fall apart.

Vinyl
You can tell vinyl from other, safer, plastics by its odor. Vinyl also releases fumes that are harmful to your photographs.

Adhesives
Choose an adhesive that is both acid-free and permanent: acid-free because you don't want it to damage your photographs, and permanent because you want your photographs to stay were you put them and not fall out when your grandson looks at the album twenty years from now. Adhesives come in a variety of formats: liquid, double-sided sticky squares, double-sided tape.  Pick the safe adhesive that best suit your style.

Inks
The inks you choose for your album, either for pens to journal with or stamp pads to decorate with, should be acid-free, fade-proof, waterproof pigment inks. They should be acid-free so that they will not damage your photographs. The other attributes (fade-proof, waterproof) are important for permanence.

Decorative Items
Decorative items may include mounting paper, die cuts, and stickers. Similar guidelines apply. All should be acid-free. Where stickers are concerned, not only should the paper be acid-free, but the adhesive as well. Also consider the permanence of the adhesive on stickers.

Memorabilia
Memorabilia items (ticket stubs, engraved napkins, brochures, etc.) most often are not acid-free. You can safely include them in your album if you isolate them from your photographs. There are several ways to do this. One is to put the memorabilia on a page with no photographs, and use page protectors to protect facing pages. The other way is to "encapsulate" the acid-containing memorabilia in a Mylar (polyester) sleeve, and place it on the same page with your photographs. The Mylar sleeve provides an effective barrier between the acid-containing item and the other photographs and acid-free items on your album page.