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How to Store Family Photo Negatives safely
Learn how to safely store family photo negatives using appropriate paper or plastic enclosures, and when cold storage is needed to prevent deterioration.
To store family photo negatives safely, you can use the same high-quality paper and plastic enclosures designed for photographic prints, provided they pass the ANSI IT9.16 Photographic Activity Test (PAT) National Archives. It is also important to choose the right enclosure materials and consider cold storage environments to slow down irreversible decay National Archives.
Choose suitable enclosure materials
You can store negatives and transparencies in the same manner as your photographic prints National Archives. Choose enclosures made of high-quality plastic or paper that pass the ANSI IT9.16 Photographic Activity Test (PAT) National Archives.
If you decide to use paper enclosures, they must be lignin-free and acid-free Ask a Librarian. These paper options are available in either unbuffered stock with a neutral pH of 7 or alkaline buffered stock with a pH of 8.5 Ask a Librarian.
Avoid plastic for specific negative types
While plastic is suitable for some materials, plastic enclosures must not be used to store glass plate, acetate-based, or nitrate negatives Ask a Librarian. As a practical suggestion, you might want to clearly label your storage boxes so you know what material each negative is made of.
If possible, you should also keep your negatives stored separately from your photographic print materials Library of Congress. This separation is recommended because some negatives are capable of producing harmful gases as they age Library of Congress.
Monitor for deterioration and use cold storage
If kept at room temperature, acetate negatives and color negatives are vulnerable to fading and deterioration within decades National Archives. You should check your older film negatives for signs of plastic deterioration, which may include wrinkling, warping, or developing a vinegar odor National Archives.
This decay process is irreversible, and storing these materials at cold temperatures is the only way to slow it down National Archives. While cold storage is effective at slowing this deterioration, it requires special steps and packaging National Archives.
