Got a lot of photos? Do you want to be able to enjoy your pictures instead of having to search and search to find your favourites? Does the thought of tackling your photo collection seem so overwhelming that you keep putting it off? Me too!
That's why this month I'm hosting the 31 Day Photo Decluttering Challenge! Each day I'll share tips to help you declutter your photo collection so you can really treasure and enjoy all the best ones. And I'll share my progress as I declutter my photos along with you :)
Today I'm talking about photo albums... which ones are good and which ones are bad for your photos.
Today's Photo Decluttering Tip - Enjoy Your Photos In New Photo Albums
If you've been decluttering your photo albums, you probably have lots of holes or gaps between the photos you're keeping.
If you're not planning to scan your photos, I'd suggest getting some newer albums for the photos you keep. Most of the older albums either had those photo corners to hold photos in (which probably no longer stick and you end up with an album of loose photos), or they had those old sticky pages (which actually can cause your photos to deteriorate because of the chemicals in them). The newer albums are usually photo safe. Then you can enjoy all the photos you're keeping, while taking up less shelf space.
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing photo albums, especially if you're anticipating this will be a long-term storage solution:
- Don't use the sticky page or magnetic page albums - they ruin your photos
- Look for albums that are archival quality - this means they are photo safe, acid free, lignen free, and PVC free - and most importantly it means your photos are protected instead of slowly deterioriating
- Choose albums that have a place to add notes so you don't have to write on the back of your photos or pull them out to remember details - you can tell your story easier if there's space for text
- If you'll need to add photos later consider a binder-style album so you can insert pages at a later date and keep photos where they fit in your story or with a particular theme
- Select an album that allows for various sizes of photos if your photos are not all 4x6's
Take your time finding the right photo album for your needs. I've found some good photo safe albums on Amazon {affiliate link}. If you can't find what you're looking for, contact an APPO photo organizer. They can point you in the right direction.
Photo albums are still a great way to enjoy your photos. There's something about flipping through the pages of an actual album that is special. You can leave them out for guests to look through and eventually pass your photos and memories down to future generations.
My Photo Decluttering Progress
I didn't actually go through any new photos today. However, I've been accumulating quite a lot of "mess" in my living room this month. Empty albums, piles of discarded photos, packages of negatives, a box of photos I'm planning to scan, etc. Today I took time to clean it all up.
I re-sorted through all the discarded photos and set aside the ones I'd like to offer to family members. Then I actually threw the rest in the garbage, along with the negatives and most of the albums (the sticky page kinds). I'm also donating a few albums (the pocket kinds) so I put those in my donate box.
My living room looks far less cluttered now and it feels good to actually get so much of the decluttered stuff out of my house :)
I re-sorted through all the discarded photos and set aside the ones I'd like to offer to family members. Then I actually threw the rest in the garbage, along with the negatives and most of the albums (the sticky page kinds). I'm also donating a few albums (the pocket kinds) so I put those in my donate box.
My living room looks far less cluttered now and it feels good to actually get so much of the decluttered stuff out of my house :)
Your Turn!
Today your task is to consider what you need in your photo albums. Research where you can get them. Keep decluttering your photos so you are ready to put the "keepers" into your new albums.
If you'd like more decluttering ideas, you can check out my Decluttering/Purging Tips & Ideas board on Pinterest.
How are you doing in the 31 Day Photo Decluttering Challenge so far? How do you think today's tip will help you? What photos are you decluttering today? What kind of photo albums do you use?
Happy decluttering and organizing!
Here are the rest of the posts in this challenge:
