Humidity and Photos

As I sit in my air-conditioned home office, it’s hot and humid outside. The combination of these two weather Hs are bad for family photos. Resin-coated color images tend to stick together when it’s humid. The H and H also creates the perfect environment for mold to grow on your other pictures.

So here’s a question I’d like to see you answer in the Family Tree Magazine Photo Detective Forum. “Where do you store your family photos?”

Although the best place to keep photos is in a windowless closet in an area with stable temperature and humidity, the truth is, few of us live in a museum. So, what’s a concerned genealogist to do?

The solution is actually quite simple: Nesting boxes. Store your photos in acid- and lignin-free boxes. The center box containing your pictures sits within a larger box. Each layer creates a barrier between the outside fluctuations and your precious pictures.

Keep yourself and your photos cool this summer!