Transfer:
Do you have boxes of slides in your home that hold precious family memories? If so, you’re probably worried about them being ruined or deteriorating over time. Those slides carry unforgettable memories and stories of your family member’s lives. They may hold images of those who are no longer with you. They preserve special days and moments that we want to remember forever. That’s why it’s so important to digitize those memories so that they won’t be permanently lost! If you’re thinking of converting slides to digital format, there’s one problem to consider: Mold.
There’s a good chance you’ve been storing your slides in a box in an attic or basement. Some of them will have been there for many years. Your media are, therefore, at risk of water damage and high humidity. The result of these two perils can be mold growth. Even if you’ve stored your slides as safely as possible, there’s always the chance of an unavoidable accident occurring. If you’ve just opened your box of slides to discover they’re covered in mold, don’t panic! The good news is you can remove mold from your slides so you can digitize them.
What Do You Need?
To clean mold from your slides, you need a pair of soft, clean cotton gloves. You’ll also need an absorbent cotton pad and some isopropyl alcohol of 98 percent content or higher.
What Do You Do?
Follow these simple steps to remove mold effectively from your slides:
- Put on the cotton gloves. This will ensure you leave no unwanted fingerprints on the surface of the slides.
- Dampen the cotton pad with isopropyl alcohol. Wipe over the film with the pad gently. This will remove the mold. When the mold is no longer visible, you can stop cleaning.
- Remount the slides in a fresh glass mount. This will keep them safe and prevent new mold from growing.
- Allow the slide to dry naturally in the air after you’ve applied the alcohol and wiped it away.
- Repeat this process to all slides that have signs of mold.
What Should You Avoid?
The process to remove mold from slides is relatively simple. There are, however, a few things that you should avoid doing. If you do any of the following, you could risk permanently damaging your precious slides.
- Don’t use any water-containing cleaning solution. This could cause more mold to grow. Don’t use ordinary alcohol either. You need to use the right solution to guarantee effective removal without the chance of regrowth.
- Don’t store the newly cleaned slides in any place where there is a high moisture or humidity level. This will help to prevent more mold from growing on the slides.
- Digitize your slides as quickly as possible after removing mold growth. This will ensure that if mold grows again, you will still be able to preserve your memories for the future.
Contact the Reborn team today to find out more about converting slides to digital format. We can help to make sure you don’t lose those important family moments forever.
