Photographs are invaluable to people.  They hold memories of childhood, family members that may no longer be here and some of the most important moments in our lives.  You may be fortunate enough to have boxes of family photos or albums that have been passed down from generation to generation.  Some of these photos may be displayed in your home, but chances are you may need a place to store most of them.  Whether you store them in your home or in a storage unit, here are a few tips to ensure that they are protected from potential harms:

According to Reader’s Digest there are 7 ways to store photos that will preserve them and the memories they hold.  Here are a few do’s and don’ts:

DON’T: Store in the basement, garage or attic.  Temperatures and humidity fluctuate in these areas and can cause the photos to stick together, become moldy or speed up the degeneration of the paper.  Cool, dry places are best.

DO: Protect them from light.  If you aren’t able to enclose your photo completely, they should be kept in the dark as much as possible.  Leather photo box containers are your best bet since they are water-resistant.  Photo albums are also a great, but depending on how much space you have it may make more sense to use photo boxes, since they can hold more photos.

DON’T: Use paper clips, rubber bands, glue or paper that is not designed for archiving.  Why?  They could leave marks on the photos that is long lasting and some papers have harmful acids that could damage the photos in long term storage.

DO: Make copies!  If you have the negatives, store them in a water-resistant box separately from the photos themselves.  If it’s possible, digitally store the photos that are most important to you.

DON’T: Store photos on the ground.  They are best stored higher up in the event of a flood.

Make sure to take care of your precious memories for future generations.  If you need to clear some photos from your home, Dollar Self Storage is the perfect place to store them. Whether you are closest to one of our newest storage facilities in Las Vegas, NV or Chandler, AZ, or have stored with us for years such as at our Tucson storage facility we’ll welcome playing a part in storing your memories.