How to Store Scrapbook Albums

Scrapbook albums are important keepsakes where precious memories are preserved for everyone to enjoy. Storing your albums properly will help preserve them for years to come. Album storage is essential in order to keep photographs and page layouts in perfect condition. Improper storage can spell disaster for your scrapbook memories.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Photo-safe scrapbook album
• Plastic album protectors
• Plastic page protectors (acid-free)
• Shelves
• Storage space
• Shaded, dry area

1. Keep photo albums away from moisture and/or extreme heat. Moisture will ruin the paper and photographs and could cause mold to grow on your album. Direct sunlight will fade your album covers and your scrapbook pages. Book shelves in a bedroom office or den are ideal places to store scrapbooks.

2. Place albums in an upright position on the shelf or storage area. If the albums are lying down then the weight of the book may cause indentations in your pages. This could damage the paper or photographs in the scrapbook albums.

3. Cover your album with a plastic album protector and make sure all of your scrapbook layouts are stored in plastic page protectors that are photo-safe (acid-free and lignin-free). Page protectors will keep dust particles away from your photographs so they do not get damaged or scratched. If you have a fabric album like a linen scrapbook then you can use a water-proof, stain resistant spray to protect your album if you can't find a plastic cover.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a back-up of all your photographs. Store the negatives in a safe place or better yet store your photos on a CD. You may not be able to replace the entire photo album, but you can replace the photos if something disastrous happens.
• Always use photo-safe materials in your albums. Keep acidic paper such as newspaper away from photographs. All embellishments should be acid and lignin-free. Dried flowers have lignin since they are a plant, don't use them next to photographs or they may damage the photos.
• Make sure you purchase albums that are made of photo-safe material. Not all photo albums are the same so read the labels to make sure you are getting scrapbook albums that will preserve your memories not damage the page layouts.
• Never store scrapbook albums in attics or unfinished basements where they could be exposed to a cold moist climate.
• Don't put your scrapbooks in boxes with other items on top of them this can cause damage to your album or make the pages to stick together and may damage embellishments that are on the pages.

[fefifofum]

on 10/26/2008 I have some indentions form my books lying down but I dont mind it too much, great article

[tiffgal19]

on 3/1/2008 Where can I buy plastic 12x12 scrapbook cover protectors?