Damaged photos for which you do not have negatives need to receive immediate attention. Once photos are stuck together or have become mouldy, it becomes increasingly difficult to save them. Repair colour photos before black and white photos.

You should handle the photographs carefully because the surface coatings may be very fragile. Do not to touch the photograph's surface with your bare hands. Wear cotton gloves and avoid handling them as much as possible.

Take new photographs using the highest resolution setting on your camera of all damaged photographs as soon as you can. Often new copies can be made from these images. Take new photos before you attempt any soaking or cleaning.

Remove photos from frames and as gently as possible remove all mat borders. It is better to send your photograph to a restorer in the frame or mat if you are unsure it you will cause more damage.

If the photo is really stuck you can attempt soaking but take a new photograph though the glass before you attempt to remove or soak it.

Change the water often as dirty water will cause more damage. It can take a few hours to loosen them and allow them to separate. Don't prise them apart, just let nature take its course.

Wet photos should be rinsed in clean distilled water to remove mud and sediments. You can always send a wet photo to us in a zip lock plastic bag and we will take it from there.

You can always freeze the photos until they can be worked on in a clean environment. The photographs can then be defrosted, separated, and air-dried at a later stage.

You will reduce the growth of mould and mildew by reducing humidity. It is advisable to increase the air flow with fans, open windows, air conditioners or dehumidifiers.

You can gently place weights on the tips of each photo corner to help reduce curling but a curled photograph can be flattened later by a restorer or copied via a new scan.

Please contact us here for further help and advice on restoring your treasured images. For information about Film Water Damage click here.

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