Photo Restoration 101

As destruction has swept through our region, many have suffered flood damage to the memories living in photographs.

Here are steps shared from the Louisiana State Archives office to recover water-drenched pictures:

• In general, wet photographs should be air dried or frozen as quickly as possible.
• Separate photographs from their enclosures, frames and each other. If they are stuck together or adhered to glass, set them aside for freezing.
• Spread photographs out to dry face up, laying them flat on an absorbent material such as blotters, unprinted newspaper, paper towels or a clean cloth.
• Keep the air around the drying materials moving at all times. Fans will speed up the drying process and minimize the risk of mold growth.
• Negatives should be dried vertically. They can be hung on a line with plastic clips placed at the edges.
• Photos may curl during drying. They can be flattened later.
• Photos that are stuck together can be frozen by wrapping them in wax paper.
• Later, as stacks of photos are thawed, individual photographs can be carefully peeled from the group and placed face up on a clean, absorbent surface to air dry.