You know those picture perfect memories you have hanging in your home? The photos of great grandma and great grandpa? Or the images in your kitchen of your kiddos when they were itty bitty? PLEASE, don’t lose those images due to the natural fading of photos!
Yes, your photos are fading. I know, I know...they seem fine and dandy now, but you will be heartbroken come the day where the coloration is distorted, half of the image disappears and you can no longer reminisce on your memories. Never fear, Southtree is here. But first, let’s talk about why your memories fade and some things to avoid that can speed up the process.
Fading Images
Although we love our memories, they don’t always last forever when we forget to give them the proper care and attention they deserve. Fading images can happen for many different reasons! Just to name a few:
Pollutants
Acid Burn
Brown Spots
Sunlight
Heat
Wear and Tear
We will discuss each item and break down how to best avoid these situations!
Pollutants
You wouldn’t naturally think that there are harmful chemicals in your home, but every house has them: Cleaning supplies. These harmful toxins and pollutants can be very damaging for your pictures and can end up fading the quality of each image. Additionally, second hand smoke and dust can damage the chemical composition of your pictures and cause fading, stains and even abrasions on your photographs. How do I avoid these issues? Keep your images well maintained and cleaned, avoid pictures near a fireplace or open windows and have your images sealed or protected behind clear plastic or glass.
Acid Burn
This is VERY important for those that might have stored their images with adhesive tape or any other strong chemical adhesive. Your images are at risk! Acid burns from masking or adhesive tape around your images can permanently damage and stain your memories! Avoid this at all costs and simply bulk your images with rubber bands instead. You’ll know if your images have acid burn if you spot a strong yellowish appearance on the image. Additionally, make sure you store your images separate from any cleaning supplies, perfume or fragrance chemicals.
Brown Spots
AKA Fungus! Yep, those brown spots on your photos are actually a form of fungal growth. This happens from time to time due to age and damp conditions. Unfortunately, there are only a few DIY ways to clean your photos from mold / fungus...unless you seek a professional which will cost you a pretty penny. The only true way to avoid mold and fungal brown spots is to take care of your photos and put them in a dry, clean, area!
Sunlight
Although we love a healthy dose of vitamin D, your photos don’t! The sunlight, and the heat from the sun, can actually fade your images. Additionally, it can curl the edges of your photos - which we definitely don’t want! Sunlight can distort the color of your images and eventually have the image capture fade completely. So, make sure you keep your images away from the sun!
Heat
To keep it short and sweet, heat can also damage and curl your images. Similar to sunlight above, heat can also pull the true color of your images away and leave them a faded and dull yellow or white. Make sure you keep your photos cool, away from any open flames (yes, even your candles) and safe.
Wear and Tear
Over the years, your photos are dropped, they collect coffee spill stains, bites from teething puppies and rips from explorative toddlers. Wear and tear. If your images crumple and bend too often, after a while, they will begin to create white, lightning like streaks across the images. This will eventually chip away at the image and you will soon be left with white powder of a memory that once was. Beware the wear and tear!
So, now that you’ve read what could possibly fade your precious photos...let’s talk about how you can avoid them! You can store your photos safely in a weather proof tub, save them in a scrapbook (again, keep away from any moisture or sunlight)....OR you could digitize your photos with ease and completely avoid all photo disasters!
It’s easy. It’s simple. And it’s made with you in mind. Southtree wants to help save your memories so you can relive those special moments again and again, without the fear of losing these treasures. You can share your digitized memories with your family and friends, have your memories at hand and ready to view at your convenience, and they will be forever safe for generations to come.
