Photograph Care and Organization Guide

You dropped the cash on the camera,  the gadgets, and all the corresponding accessories.  Keeping your photos properly stored  so they stand the test of time is the next challenge. Without proper care and storage conditions, photographs can fade, discolor, accumulate mold and even crack into bits. Here are some tips to assure your photos will last for generations as well as ways to store and display them on your own.

Keeping Your Photos

• Always store your photos  in climate-controlled environments; areas such as the basement or attic are not good places. Humidity encourages mold growth and dryness causes cracking and brittleness. The first floor of your house is a good location for storing as it tends to be the coolest and most stable in temperature.
• Keeping stored photos against an inside wall helps as outside walls tend to fluctuate in temperature.
• A relative humidity (RH) level of 30%-50% is ideal. 
• Protect photos from deterioration by storing them only in acid-free frames,  albums,  and boxes.  Most paper is naturally acidic so be sure to look for acid-free storage boxes,  mats,  tissue,  and file folders. 
• Make certain your photo albums do not have magnetic pages. Those pages are made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is a softening agent and may discolor your photos.
• If mounting your photos in a scrapbook,  do not use rubber cement. It is made with a sulfur compound and may turn your photographs yellow.

Monitor Humidity

A temperature and humidity meter  is a simple way to monitor moisture levels when it comes to product storage. Some have alarms that ring when humidity or temperature hits a certain level, and they all read out accurate settings. These gadgets are priced across the board,ranging from $7 to upwards of $300.

Storage Items

Archival Photo Storage Boxes  A must for keeping photos safe. Most come complete with sleeves for photos and cost somewhere around $15-$20. They also come in varying sizes depending on your needs.	Acid-Free Resealable Bags  An alternative to boxes and albums. They're also great for odds and ends like post cards,  magazines  and newspaper clippings  and have flaps for reuse. They are very affordable; you can purchase roughly $5 for a pack of 25.	Acid-Free, Non-Toxic Glue  An essential if you plan on scrapbooking or securing photos into a photo album with glue.  Acid-free glue sticks  are an alternative if you don't like working with liquid glue-neither will damage your photographs.

Storage Recommendations

Use any of the items below for stylish and effective storage of your photographs.

Album Storage Box	Keepit Photo Box	Faux Leather Photo Frames Set	Photo Album Book	Alpha Picture Frame

Photo Display

Archival Album Storage Boxes   These are a smart place to store your photo albums, and they will be even better protected if you are using archival photo albums  to guarantee the quality of your pictures.	Aluminum Picture Frames  These are the safest to use because wood can give off acid and possibly ruin pictures but aluminum will not.	Space Saving Pocket Photo Organizer   These are great for keeping photos tucked away so that they are not scattered all over your home.	Digital Pocket Photo Albums  This photo album is a fun way to take your pictures on-the-go or transfer photos onto your computer  or television.

Related Guides

Digital Cameras There are lots of choices when it comes to digital cameras, but our guide can help you decide which model is right for you.	Professional Photography Everything you need to know about equipment and taking professional pictures in no time.	Disposable Cameras If you find that you don't often use a camera, a disposable may be the option for you.	SLR Cameras These will give your pictures a different look than digital cameras that some photographers prefer.