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Damage causes to photographs and documents.

Deterioration of photographs and other items is hard to stop completely but it can be slowed down greatly with proper care and storage.

Some of the main causes of damage to photographs and document's are heat, dryness, light, humidity, dampness, pests, pollutants, improper storage and improper handling. Like I said this can be fun considering most homes may have at least one of these conditions.

Dry conditions can cause your prints to curl up permanently and become brittle. Increasing the chances of cracking and tears.

Light, prolonged exposure, especially sunlight - Ultra Violet rays can result in fading. Black and white photos usually are NOT quite as sensitive as colour photographs. Don't get all worried now, One or two scans or copies of an photo or looking through your old albums beside a light isn't a big deal, but excessive and continuous exposure to bright lights will eventually cause fading overtime.

Humidity and Dampness can cause warping and blurring. Dampness can result in mold and mildew which could lead to pests. Basements, attics and garages are not good storage areas no matter what the items are stored in. If a photo appears to have mold, mildew or pests keep it away from other photos so it doesn't spread.

To much handling can lead to tears, stains, dirt and fingerprints among other things.

Improper storage - The adhesive on self-stick or magnetic album pages can stain and damage photos, and over time the photographs become difficult to remove without causing more damage. Some paper pages may contain dyes and acids that can harm photos.

Pollutants - chemicals or waste products that contaminate the air, smoke and grease from cooking, and especially smoking cigarettes and cigars can be damaging to photos, art works, antiques, just about anything .

Lamination can be harmful. In addition to the damage caused by the heat and adhesives used in the lamination process, some plastics will turn yellow, become brittle, and produce acids that harm paper.

If a photo is faded, stained or in bad shape, it may be less expensive to have it enhanced digitally, and then printed on photographic paper. Do not print copies on normal computer paper, they will fade quickly.