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First aid for your home archive
Below are some simple Dos and Don'ts for caring for your home archive:
Do
- Always have clean hands when working with records
- Use a pencil, not a pen when working around records or annotating records
- Use “copy safe” document sleeves, zip lock sandwich bags or oven bags. These and other products marked PP (polypropylene), PE, LDPE or HDPE (polyethylene, low or high density) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate or polyester) are suitable (see Supplies)
- Torn items should be kept together by placing all the pieces in a plastic sleeve. These can then be photocopied or scanned as a reference copy.
- Keep your records in a protective box to stop dust, light and small amounts of water, getting on your records
- Keep you records in a cool, dry location (see Storage)
- Check your records regularly for insect or mould attack
Don't
- Don’t eat or drink around your records
- Don’t use sticky tape to repair torn records
- Don’t store photos or documents in self adhesive (“magnetic”) albums
- Don’t use PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic (this is the common type that has that very typical plastic smell and a slightly greasy feel to the surface)
- Don’t expose your records to long periods of bright light (this can fade the ink and yellow the paper)
- Don’t store your records near a water source (like the laundry or a leaky window)
- Don’t store your records on the floor (in case of a flood)