Keeping negatives safe for centuries to come is important. There is nothing worse than having a photograph get damaged, only to find out that the negative is also damaged and more than likely the photo is not replaceable. That can easily lead to broken hearts as well as no memory connection for future generations.
Do Not Let Them Touch
Store negatives in sleeves or in some other system where multiple negatives cannot touch each other. This is important to avoid scratches, or if by some horror the negatives became moist, they won’t stick together if they aren’t touching each other. See the previous article for a great storage method.
Keep Moisture Away
It is imperative to keep moisture away from photographs AND negatives at all costs. Water and moisture damage photographs and negatives beyond repair. Even the slightest humid environment can do more damage than you think.
Proper Storage
This is a must for keeping negatives safe. Keeping negatives out of shoe boxes is another must. The cardboard is loaded with acid and will deteriorate your negatives fast and printing a true color print will be difficult.
Avoid Sunlight
Sunlight will fade the negatives over time. In fact, sunlight can also cause the negatives to wilt and crease from the extreme temperatures. However, it is not just about the sunlight, you should also avoid cold temperatures as well. Both can do plenty of damages to negatives and printing photographs will become difficult.
Avoid Prolonged Light Exposure
This is similar to sunlight, except it takes longer to damage the negatives. Do not expose your negatives to light for long periods of time, because again you will have fading and color changing on the negatives. Plus if a lamp is close by you can have the heat warp and wilt your negatives just like the sunlight.
For more great tips, see the photography blog or visit the Techniques, Tips and Tricks section.
Recommended Articles:
Properly Handling a Photograph
How to Best Organize Your Negatives
How to Best Organize Digital Images
Why Are My Photographs Deteriorating?