4 Tips to Keep Your Photos and Picture Frames Protected

Learn the 4 simple steps you can take to prevent your photo and picture frame from being damaged.

Avoid Direct Sunlight
UV rays from the sun will degrade your photo and cause fading of both your photograph and picture frame. To reduce the amount of fading to your photos and solid wood frames simply avoid placing them in direct sunlight. If that isn’t possible you can reduce the damage by using glass or acrylic with a UV coating. This won’t protect the picture frame but will reduce the photo’s UV exposure by a significant amount.

Avoid Moisture
Moisture can cause devastating problems, so always avoid hanging pictures or artwork in areas with a lot of moisture. Bathrooms are one of the worst locations, but also be careful of hanging pictures near a kitchen sink.

Always avoid using a picture frame if it has a sealed back as this can prevent the moisture from escaping and can damage your photo. Generally, ready-made picture frames have backing that allows the picture to breath, however, some custom made frames do not. Often custom framers will seal the back of frames with paper to keep out dust but that can instead trap in moisture and wreak havoc on your photograph.

Another moisture problem you can encounter is if you live in a humid climate. Climates with high humidity require extra precautions for protecting your pictures. You may want to consider using mats or small spacers to between the picture and glass to allow for air flow. When a picture continually touches glass in a high humid environment, it can permanently stick to the glass making it impossible to remove without damaging it. Adding a mat on top of your photo or small spacers will create a small gap so the picture can’t touch the glass. This is a simple step that you should definitely consider if you live in a humid environment.

Be Careful of Glass Cleaners
This may seem like obvious advice but this common mistake can be easily avoidable if you’re aware of the damage it can cause. The problem with spray cleaners is that people spray the cleaner directly on the frame glass while the frame and picture are still assembled. Then, the cleaner drips down the side of the glass and gets between the glass and the picture. Normally most people aren’t even aware that this happens until much later when they try to remove the picture and can’t peel it away without ripping the picture.

So, even if it may take an extra minute or two to take off the picture frame back and remove the picture, it’s definitely worth your time and will prevent the possibility of damaging your photo.

If you don’t want to remove your picture simply use a damp cloth (slightly moistened with water) to dust off your picture frame.

Be Careful of Storing Your Picture Frames
If you need to pack up and store your picture frames there are a few things to watch out for:

-Never stack your picture frames directly on top of one another. It may seem harmless at the time but once you scratch a metal or wood frame, it’s really hard to fix.

-Always wrap your frames in towels or plastic bubble wrap if you need to pack them or move them. Protecting your frame and glass will also protect your picture from being ruined by broken glass. Anytime you store large frames, like 8x10 picture frames or larger, you should use special packing material like bubble wrap to ensure the glass is properly protected.

-Be careful of where you store your picture frames. Often times, people store their picture frames in a storage facility, garage, attic or basement where the temperature conditions fluctuate. This is a huge caution because your picture frames should be stored in a stable temperature. That means that moist, hot or humid environments can damage your photos and frames so the best recommendation is only store them inside where you live to ensure a stable temperature.

Being aware of these simple steps will hopefully help you keep your photos and picture frames in perfect condition. Just remember if you want to continue to enjoy your photo memories for years to come, it only takes a few extra minutes to help keep them protected and looking great.