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Caring for Your Paper Documents Store papers in a cool, dry, dark environment. Heat and humidity can cause paper to become brittle or moldy, and light can cause fading or yellowing. Store papers in archival containers. Boxes, paper sleeves, folders, or mats should always be preservation quality.
How do you preserve old letters and documents?
Consider placing your letters and documents in acid-free envelopes, crystal clear bags, or pocket pages, all of which will keep delicate papers from being exposed to harmful dust, moisture and household pollutants. You can place them in elegant three-ring binders and slipcases if they are in archival binder pages.
How do you preserve paper for a long time?
Tips to store paper document safely for long time Do not fold paper documents : Paper documents should be stored without any fold. Do not use pin or staples : Pin and staples are made of iron. Do not tie paper documents with rubber : Rubber has the tendency to melt with the passing time.
How do you preserve old handwritten letters?
Preserving your old letters Prep your workspace. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands. Unfold and remove any bindings. Remove any staples, paper clips, or any other metal attaching papers together. Scan or take photos of every page, including the envelope. Place in your archival storage. Store properly. Other tips.
What do you do with old family documents?
How to Preserve Old Family Documents Wash your hands to avoid transferring oils to paper and work on a clean, flat surface. Carefully unfold the document and remove any staples, pins or fasteners. Place each item in an acid-free, lignin-free folder or archival plastic enclosure.
How do you digitize old letters?
Create digital copies of your letters by scanning on a flatbed scanner at 300 dpi in full color. This setting allows for adjustments to enhance faded handwriting and print full-size copies. If pages are especially brittle or fragile, consider digitizing with your smartphone using a scanner app and tripod.
How do you preserve old pictures and letters?
Its experts suggest storing your prints and papers in cool temperatures (about 73 degrees or below), and 30 to 40 percent relative humidity. The best storage spaces are also ventilated and have minimal air pollution.
How can I preserve old documents at home?
Store documents flat in a cool, dry, and dark area. Papers should always be stored in acid-free, alkaline materials (like boxes, folders, or mats) or in polyester film folders. Never keep your documents in a damp or humid areas, such as basements, attics, or bathrooms.
Should you throw away old letters?
Note to self: Never throw away old letters. Send them back to the people who wrote them. They were a thank you for a gift, but now they’re the gift itself.
How do you preserve handwritten notes?
Put two-sided keepsakes such as postcards in “floating” frames and hang them as room dividers. Organize handwritten papers in chronological order, and store them in binders with archival sleeves (sold in office supply and department stores).
How do you prevent document deterioration?
Light, temperature, and humidity should be controlled as much as possible to avoid accelerating the deterioration of the item. A room kept below normal room temperature with about 35% humidity is ideal, and items should be kept out of direct light. Minimal light is best practice.
How do I archive my family history?
One good way to store paper items is placing similar-size documents together in archival-quality file folders or paper sleeves. You can place the folders or sleeves flat in archival storage boxes or upright in hanging folders. It you choose the upright option, don’t allow papers to slump inside the folder.
How do you preserve property documents?
Financial documents need to be kept safe. Storing hardcopies in the almirah locker is no longer the wisest thing to do. Instead, you should be making use of digital options. Once, storing financial documents was as simple as putting them in marked files to be locked away in steel almirahs at home.
How do you preserve 100 year old photos?
Experts say that the best way to preserve old photos is to store them in archival boxes, handle them sparingly and never expose them to light.
What do you do with old letters?
What to Do With Old Cards & Letters Scan & store them on your computer. Tuck them in your scrapbook or journal. Keep them so you can one day give them back to the writer. Repurpose them into tags & gift cards. Repurpose them into scrapbook & journal embellishments. Repurpose card tops into postcards. Donate card tops.
What do you do with old war letters?
After you have put your letters in chronological order, unfolded them and encapsulated them, it is now time to file and store them. Archivists prefer to put their encapsulated letters into archival file folders and then into archival boxes, being sure to keep the chronological order intact.
How do you keep old pictures from sticking together?
Moisture and acids from non archival paper can cause photos to stick to each other. One highly recommended solution is to place a piece of archival paper between the photos and then store them in an archival box, away from moisture. This is a guide about keeping photos from sticking together.
Does laminating preserve paper?
Lamination is the process of completely sealing paper documents between sheets of plastic with heat and low-grade adhesives. Simply put, lamination should never be thought of as a preservation method.
How do you preserve ink on paper?
Golden Archival Spray Varnish is another good choice for protecting pen and ink artwork. This archival varnish is available in Gloss, Satin and Matte. Like Lascaux UV Protect, Golden Archival Spray Varnish can also be used with other media.
Where should I store important documents at home?
FEMA recommends storing electronic copies of important documents in a password-protected format on a removable flash drive or external hard drive within a fireproof and water-resistant box or safe.
