Safekeeping those Photos for Self-storage

Not so long ago, pictures dominated as a physical medium in society, with the age of smartphones, that has since changed. Photos went from being printed in newspapers, and magazines, displayed in a foyer or tucked away in photo albums to being shared online and hoarded in a phone’s gallery. That is not even including how taking photos has evolved from stuffy family portraits to fancy food at a pub and photoshopped recreations.

Maybe you have been cleaning out the attic or the basement of a loved one and stumbled across family photos from generations before. Or maybe you have photos from the not-so-distant past –like the 90s– and want to pass down candid shots and family portraits to your kids and grandkids. Whatever the reason, you want to keep these memories alive. There are steps you can take to preserve the past and keep old photos safe from damage.

Digitally Backup What You Can

Scan the physical copies of your photos to create digital backups. Make sure that when you are scanning your pictures you are taking the time to make sure they are captured correctly. You do not want to experience an important memory from a picture of a loved one being destroyed, only to find out that your backup is inadequate.

If you have not already sorted your pictures, take the time to do so now. You can group them in any order that makes sense to you, but starting chronologically is a good first step. Scan each photo individually. There are a few options you can choose from when scanning pictures.

There are plenty of reliable apps, both free and paid, that can provide adequate technology to digitally capture photos. This is perfect if the stack of pics is a small one. And you need to be careful of lighting and glare when scanning with your smartphone. If you have stacks and stacks of photos, your best bet would be to buy a digital scanner. If you do not have the budget, try and find a used one online.

Once all of your photos have been scanned, back them up on The Cloud, Google Drive, or wherever you keep digital files. You may also want to download them on a flash drive as an extra backup, in case something goes wrong.

Prepare Physical Copies for Storage

After scanning and backing up what you have, it is time to put the physical copies of your photos into storage-safe photo albums. Purchase high-quality, acid-free photo albums that are meant to keep pictures safe, using plastic that is coated with photo-safe material. Make sure to place one photo per pocket so no pictures stick together.

Don’t forget the negatives when stowing away old pictures. If your two previous fail-safes, well, failed, you will have the negatives to develop and salvage the memories lost to time and wear and tear.

You can also purchase a photo container, just make sure your pictures are separated by acid-free parchment paper as a buffer. Use airtight, plastic containers. Cardboard boxes are cheap, but they are flimsy and don’t offer much in the way of protection. Even the tiniest bit of moisture can make cardboard boxes wither in structure. Utilize pallets to keep items off the floor. This will prevent any damage from rain or snow and keep air moving around in the storage space.

Choose Climate-Controlled Storage

Your last step in storing away those old photos is to choose the right kind of storage unit. Storage facilities will often offer climate-controlled storage options to their tenants. This means you can control the unit’s temperature and humidity so any items, not just pictures, are safe from the elements and any moisture.

Finding the right storage unit should be the easiest step in the process, and here at Mini U Storage, we make that possible. With tons of locations across the country, you can be sure to find the right storage at the right price. Choose the space you need straight from our website and get started storing your photos the right way by getting in touch with us today.