Question: Hi, I have a question about photos dated from 1990 - 1998 that were once stored in an adhesive/magnetic album. At this point, I have removed all of the photos successfully, but they have yellowed around the edges on the backside. Can I take these photos and put them in acid-free albums? Will they stop deteriorating or will the acid continue to harm them? I am trying to figure out if I can use these pics of if I need to get them all reprinted which would be very stressful (my negatives are very UNorganized) and expensive (there are literally hundreds!)? Thank you.
Answer: First of all, they will probably continue to deteriorate since the acid is already on them. But if all you do is put them in an acid-free album, you are preventing further damage and they will last substantially longer. If you can’t afford or don’t have the time to find the negatives, reprint them, and then store them in an acid-free environment, I have two other suggestions:
1.) Spray all of the photos with acid neutralizer. You can order some online or find some at your local craft/photo supply store (It can be just a couple dollars or more if you get a larger can). This should neutralize the acid, but it won’t take away the damage already caused by it.
2.) Scan all the photos and print them again. I know that this may seem like a long process, but it would take a lot less time than finding all those negatives! If you don’t have your own scanner, many photo processing places (even places like Costco or Wal-mart) have self-serve scanners that would allow you to scan all your photos and print them. The best part about this is that you could then burn them all to a CD (either at home yourself or let the photo processing place) do it. I love having a back-up of all my photos.
Good luck - I hope your photos can last for years to come.