How to Preserve Your Photo Books for the Future

Making a photo book is an easy, affordable way to celebrate the people, places, and memories that matter to you. Your photo books are all unique works of art. It's essential to protect them just like museums protect priceless artworks. Storing, handling, and cleaning your photo books with care preserves them so they can be enjoyed now and in the future.

How to Store Your Photo Books Properly

The first step in preserving your photo books is understanding how to store them. You'll need to decide whether you want to display or store them. Then, you'll need to put them on shelves or in boxes.

Arrange Your Books Carefully

If you want to keep your photo books out for everyday viewing, placing them on a bookshelf is best. Either stack your books to lay on top of one another or stand them up straight on shelves. Be sure to use bookends to prevent your photo books from 'leaning' into one another. This step prevents cover warping and damage.

Ensure your bookshelves aren't directly over or in front of heating and cooling vents. Temperature fluctuations can cause swelling, brittleness, and damage. It's also best to keep bookshelves in a room where the lights aren't on all day.

Prep for Long-Term Storage

If you don't plan on looking through your photo books frequently, keeping them off shelves and preparing them for long-term storage instead is a good idea. The first step is to choose acid-free boxes to store your book in. If you ordered a lay-flat photo book, it was shipped in a protective keepsake box with a magnetic lid. Otherwise, look for archival boxes or clear plastic containers with snug-fitting lids.

Wrap Your Books in a Layer of Protection

Wrap your photo books in paper that is marked as archival or acid-free before placing them in storage boxes. This adds an extra layer of protection from dust and moisture damage. Keep packed storage boxes in a climate-controlled area that stays around 68° F all year. Don't place your photo books in an unheated garage or outdoor shed, as they are likely to become brittle or moldy in these conditions.

Handle Your Precious Memories Carefully

Looking at your photo books brings you joy. Maybe you want to share your books with your family or love using them as coffee table art. You can use a few simple steps to preserve photo books you have out on display.

1. Wrap your photo books in plastic covers like the ones used to protect library books.
2. Keep your coffee table or display area clean and dust free.
3. Ask readers to wash their hands before picking up the book.
4. Dust your photo books and wipe off fingerprints every week.
5. Rotate the photo books you have on display on a seasonal basis.

It's not always possible to control how others treat your books. Don't stress if your favorite photo books get damaged or worn with use. You can easily duplicate or re-order photo book projects on Mixbook with the click of a button. Some Mixbookers order two copies of special albums like wedding photo books and family history books to display one copy and store the other for safekeeping.

Clean & Maintain Photo Books Regularly

Like other heirloom items, your photo books will last longer and look better when they're cleaned regularly. You can clean hard and softcover photo books with a microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol. Squirt a small amount of alcohol onto a clean microfiber cloth, then wring it out to remove excess liquid. Gently wipe book covers and pages.

Fingerprint marks should be removed from your photo books regularly — if you let them sit on the pages for too long, they'll sink in and become permanent. You should be able to remove fingerprints with a kneaded art eraser. Rub the eraser on the spot gently, then blow away any eraser dust. Finish by blotting the paper with a clean microfiber cloth.

It's important to clean and dust photo books before putting them up for storage too. Dust can rub against covers or sink into pages, dulling and darkening your photos. The oils in fingerprints can also damage photo books. For the best results, do what archivists do: Wear light cotton gloves while cleaning, wrapping, and boxing up your books for storage.

Fight Environmental Damage to Your Photo Books

Light, dust, environmental pollutants, and humidity levels all impact the longevity of your books. Keeping them clean and out of direct light is essential to preserving them for the future. Remember that both sunlight and artificial light can damage books. Do not display your photo books under direct light for more than a few hours a day.

All books fare best when stored at a relative humidity of 35 to 50%. If you live in a humid area, store books in plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Put an archival moisture-control packet in your book container. It will help balance humidity to prevent molding and musty odors. You can find these packets online at specialty bookstores and some garden stores.

Protect books from excess heat if you live in a very dry area. The combination of heat and dry air can lead to brittle pages. If you have a home library or significant photo book collection, consider a whole-house humidifier that can keep the air inside your home within the 35-50% relative humidity range.

Making Your Memories Last

Everyone wishes that their memories could last forever. It's part of the reason that photo books are so popular. Whether you're an experienced Mixbooker or making your first designer photo book, make the most of your design by storing your new volume with care. After all, your memories deserve to be safeguarded for years to come.