Acids naturally a part of paper and photographs contribute to deterioration. When paper or plastic is "acid-free", it means that acids have been removed in the manufacturing process to produce a neutral medium. Usually, lignin (one of the "active ingredients") in newspaper yellowing is removed too. Sometimes, other chemicals are added to "buffer" the items against acids which assult papers, photos and textiles from other places. So, only use acid-free and lignin-free papers and acid-free glues and plastics and your preservation activities. When dealing with paper, try for "buffered" paper too (and "buffered" envelopes for b & w photos).... Like a Rolaids for your treasures.

Your treasures are a lot like you ... they like it not too hot, not too humid, not too dry, not too cold. They don't like to be assaulted by gas fumes, paint, or smoke or eaten by inects or rodents. So keep your family jewels out of unheated basements, attics, and garages and store them in the living areas of your home. Linen closets usually offer up loads of space once you actually put the towels in the bathroom!

When mounting your photos and memorabilia, beware of:

Don't use ball-point pen to label the backs of your colour photos ... it goes blurry over time and also promotes acids which can compromise the photo. The same goes for felt pen on photos and paper. Try pencil (ONLY pencil for b&w prints and paper) or a Sharpie permanent pen for the backs of colour prints.

Archival inks are permanent, acid-free, and black in colour. Try archival pigma-gel ink, available basically anywhere. Ink jet printers do not produce archivally-permanent ink, but laser printers do!

Don't do anything irreverable to your treasures such as lamination, drymounting, or heatsealing! Always ensure that you can return your photo or keepsake to its original state if necessesary.

Ever wonder why some treasures and keepsakes deteriorate faster than others? Preservation is essentially a three-part harmony consisting of:

• "genetics": the chemical and material make-up of the keepsake (ie: what it is and how it was created …. a letter written on a piece of paper made from a wood-pulp process or a photograph created out of a chemical reaction
• "environment" : its conditions of storage and use (ie: the type of environment it has been stored in (an attic, a dresser drawer, a plastic bag) and how it has been handled (read every day, used as a coaster)
• "packaging": the materials being used to preserve it (ie: stored in an acid-free box in the proper environment, kept in an airtight plastic container in a basement)

Nothing lasts forever, but some materials will last longer depending on the tune that the three-part harmony whistles! A keepsake with "great genetics" which has been kept in an archivally-favorable environment, handled carefully, and stored in archival containers has the best chances for a long and happy life.

For instance, a newspaper clipping which has been kept in a mouldy basement for thirty years is not a great "preservation rescue" prospect. Newsprint is not not by nature a medium that lasts long and coupled with the probably damage incurred while in its damp and cold environment, means that the best "reformed" storage environment and care will not do a lot to make it last. In this case, both the genetics and environment are not favorable. It would be a waste to spend the money on an acid-free file folder to keep it in. Is this newpaper clipping doomed? Not in this case! By photocopying the clipping onto acid-free paper then storing it archivally, the information on that clipping has a much better chance for survival! Its "clone" has been given better genetics than the original, and the owner having decided to keep it in an acid-free envelope, folder, or album in a cool, dry place has virtually guaranteed it a longer life.

So even if you invest time and money into buying archival containers and storing them in an acceptable environment, depending on how your keepsakes were created and kept before you decided to preserve them, you cannot guarantee your treasures an infinite lifetime. Just think of the person genetically pre-disposed to wrinkles who sits out in the sun without sunscreen day after day then lavishes her skin with the most expensive skin products as a last-ditch attempt to restore her skin's youthful appearance. Is her indulgence a waste of time? Probably! On the other hand, don't we all have a great-aunt somewhere who never put anything on her skin, ate all the "wrong" stuff and at the age of 80 has cheeks like a twenty-year-old? Or the neighbour who eats everything in sight and never gains an ounce?

Some people are simply blessed with great genes! Same thing for your family jewels. Some keepsakes, because of their "good genetics", seem to last for ages despite being mistreated and stored poorly! A great example of this is pre-Industrial Revolution writing paper. Unlike the unfortunate newsclipping discussed above, paper made before the advent of wood pulp paper factories was made from cotton, a purer medium. Less acidic and free from the chemicals that are added to give paper whiteness and body much pre-1850's still looks great today despite being stored in awful conditions. What's the secret? Good "genes!"

Understanding the three-part harmony of preservation and knowing what you can improve to keep your treasures in shape will help you to preserve the keepsakes that are most important to you.

But first, a word about one of the the main terrorizers of your "family jewels": acetic acid.