Photo Restoration Tutorial: Removing Mould From Old Photos

My Dad invited my around yesterday to look through some old photos he had taken down from the attic. He said that some were in bad need of restoration, which increased my interest.

I was quite excited to look through them as they were old family photos I had not previously seen, and there were some really beautiful old photos in the collection. Most of them dated from the early 1900s and it was interesting to note how some looked as though they had been printed just yesterday, whereas others were so badly faded as to make saving them quite difficult. A few of the old photos also had mould growing on them.

Mould loves the conditions prevalent in many attics and basements - a dark, humid environment with warm, still air - and photographs make an ideal surface for it to grow on. Removing the mould is essential as it can easily infect your other photographs and negatives.

Here are some tips for dealing with mould damaged photos

• Separate infected photos from the rest of your collection.


• Never use water or detergent to clean your photos.


• Always remove mould outside. Removing spores inside will just transfer them from one place to another.


• UV light/sunlight kills mould and dries it up - but also fades pictures, especially any that are already faded. So limit the time your infected photos are exposed to sunlight to about an hour.
  
• Mould spores can cause severe allergic reactions - so wear a mask and gloves as a precaution.
  
• Gently brush the dried mould away with a very soft brush.


• Place cleaned photos in separate inert polyester archive envelopes.


• Keep cleaned photos separate from your collection for several month

It is a good idea to store photos away from light in an archive box, but keep the box in a room that gets a small amount of sunlight each day and whose humidity is relatively low. The sunlight will kill any spores in the room and keep them from getting to your photos.

Yesteryearmemories have an interesting article on removing mould and mildew from old photos which is well worth a read if you come across this problem.