May is National Photo Month and while technology makes it virtually impossible to not amass a huge stash of pictures, you probably have an old album or two from the past lying around just begging for some photo preservation. You know what I’m talking about; the kind of album where you pulled a clear film off a sticky page and arranged your photos on the surface, then covered them back up with the clear page that magically adhered to the top, seemingly protecting them for the future?  Bad news. We’ve known for a while that those plastic sheets from these “magnetic albums” contained PVC, one of the worst things that can touch your photos. But take heart, you can salvage your pictures from those old albums and preserve those family memories. Here’s what you need:

1. You’ll want a pair of gloves, preferably cotton, so the oils in your fingers don’t further damage your photographs.
2. Have some unwaxed dental floss on hand, the kind that doesn’t shred, to help lift any photos that won’t budge from the page.
3. Grab a stack of sticky notes to write captions on and stick to the back of your photos in case you can’t write on the back.
4. Make sure you have an archival safe box to store the photos in, but don’t forget to scan them to electronic files so that you have them preserved for generations. 

Our Certified Professional Photo Organizer can help you get started with this project, or do all the work for you. Just be sure to get it done before time does any further damage to your precious memories.