Keeping family photos safe, on paper and on disk

A lost photo can't be replaced. Prints and papers last longest cool, dry and away from water and pests, and digital photos last only as long as their copies.

Where prints and papers go

• Somewhere cooler than 75°FCooler temperatures slow chemical decay and keep insects down.
• Relative humidity below 65%, and above 15%Damp air grows mold, and very dry air makes paper and photos brittle.
• Out of damp basements, garages and hot attics
• Away from pipes, windows and any known roof leak
• On a shelf, off the floor
• Away from food and water, which draw insects and rodents

Acetate negatives, color negatives, color slides and color prints can fade within decades at room temperature. Cold storage slows that, but it takes special packaging and steps.

What to store them in

• Boxes and folders big enough to keep each item flat or uprightNothing should bend or fold to fit, and a spacer board fills an upright box that isn't full. Don't overstuff it either.
• Board and folder stock that's lignin-free and acid-free or buffered
• Enclosures that passed the Photographic Activity Test, for photographs
• Album pages and corners that hold photos without glueAcid-free paper or stable plastics such as polyester, polypropylene and polyethylene are the safe materials. Any binding style works, but don't overfill the pages or the album.

Keep white glue, hot glue, rubber cement, tape, self-stick "magnetic" albums, rubber bands, paper clips and staples that aren't stainless steel, and PVC plastic away from prints and papers. They stain, discolor, ooze or get hard to remove.

Digital photos

• Find every place photos liveThat means cameras, computers, memory cards and photos posted on the web.
• Pick the ones that matter mostWhere there are several versions of a photo, keep the highest quality one.
• Give them descriptive file names and tag the people in themPut them in folders, and write a short note on how the folders are set up.
• Make at least two copies, in places far apartOne copy can stay on the computer. Put the others on separate media, such as a portable hard drive, a thumb drive or online storage. Keep the copies as far apart as you can, so a disaster in one place leaves another copy safe.
• Keep a list of the photos with your important papers