Clean Old Photographs & Negatives
When you find old family photos and negatives covered with fingerprints, dust or stains, it's easy to clean them yourself with a few simple ingredients. Be sure to store them with archival materials designed to protect fragile photo paper. Acid-free envelopes, framing mats and storage containers are manufactured without the harmful chemicals you'll find in things like vinyl photo album pages. If you have antique photos such as tintypes or daguerreotypes, you'll need to take those to a conservationist for cleaning.
Instructions
1. Wear white cotton gloves to handle all your old photos and negatives to avoid getting fingerprints or oil on them. You can buy these specialty photo gloves from most camera shops.
2. Place the item to be cleaned on a sterile work surface, such as a large piece of clean cardboard or poster board.
3. Use a soft brush to clear any dust from the photo or negative. A new paintbrush or unused makeup brush will work. Don't press on the surface; simply brush it lightly, working from the center of the image outward.
4. Remove greasy or stuck-on fingerprints with a cotton cloth or t-shirt. Lightly press the cloth against the photo or negative. Don't grind or rub; the goal is to lift the print off by using enough pressure to adhere the print to the fabric.
5. Remove ink, pencil, mildew or other stains with a photograph emulsion cleaner and photo wipes.
6. Store the clean photos and negatives in a low-moisture and low-humidity environment. Avoid putting photos in basements, attics or garages. Look for photo albums made of polypropylene instead of PVC. If you don't want to use a photo album, visit a craft store and buy an archival-quality photo box, binder, portfolio or set of acid-free paper photo sleeves.
