Photographs can be a wonderful way to decorate your home. From travel destinations to friends, family, and pets, they serve as windows of what matters to you and what memories you want to keep close. Here are just a few ways to protect your photos for years to come.
Shutters and Drapes
Sunlight is damaging to many kinds of prints, including photographs. It fades colors, breaks down dyes and pigments, and can even change the way that light is reflected in an area. You’ll want to keep your photos out of direct sunlight to make them last. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to do. Just invest in curtains, shutters, blinds, drapes, or any other kind of window covering that will prevent the sun’s rays from damaging your pictures.
Non-Adhesive Hangings
Adhesives might be convenient for sticking photos on your walls and mirrors, but they can degrade their surfaces over time. A better option is to use non-adhesive materials for photo displays. Photo corners, for example, are plastic squares that go over the corners of a picture, and they make for easy, non-adhesive wall mounting. Acid-free liquid glue can be used for DIY photo crafts. If you absolutely have to use something sticky, use a peel-and-stick photo tab made specifically for photographs.
Custom Frames
Frames are one of the easiest ways to protect photographs, but you can do a lot better than something generic from a department store. For example, custom picture framing can be crafted to your exact specifications, and it can serve to enhance your photos as well as display them. You can create collages, split panel art, shadowbox displays, and more. You can also choose from many different decorative elements to add a little style to your framing. A fabric mat or a gilded bevel might be just what you need to make your pictures pop.
Careful Positioning
Sunlight isn’t the only thing that can break down a photo. Humidity is another big one. Not only can the heat and moisture warp the surface of a print, but it can also hasten the damage done by image oxidation. In other words, it’ll fade a lot faster compared to a photo kept in a cooler spot. On the flip side, you don’t want to hang your photos right near a vent; the displaced dust particles can be harmful as well. Be smart about where you position your photos in your home.
Photographs can last for decades, especially if you keep them protected and preserved. Use these tips to ensure the longevity of your most precious keepsakes and the memories in your life that they represent.
About the author:
Emma is a freelance writer based out of Boston, MA. She writes most often on health and education. When not writing, she enjoys reading and watching film noir. Say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2