Why does my scrapbook need to be acid, lignin and PVC free?
by Joy Oneisis
You have invested countless hours into making the picture perfect scrapbook, something you and your family will hopefully cherish forever. However you worry that over time, your pictures will turn yellow, and your beautiful papers will become brittle, as we commonly see in our grandparents albums. How do you prevent this? Probably the most important thing you should know before you start scrap-booking is to always and only use materials that are labeled either archival quality, photo-safe, or acid, lignin and PVC free. Acid, Lignin and PVC are the infamous materials that slowly damage our photos and photo albums. Yes, they are slightly more expensive, but this tiny extra investment is worth its weight in gold. Keep in mind that this applies to each and every product you use in your book, including adhesives, cardstock, stickers and page protectors.
Why is acid bad for my scrapbook?
Anything with a pH of less than 7 is considered to be
acidic. This acid will eat away at your memorabilia, discoloring it and
making it brittle. Magnetic photo albums, paper, pens and stamp-ink
commonly contain acid. Therefore, be sure to look for an acid-free label
on your potential scrap-booking materials before you purchase them. Is it
is not labeled acid free, than it probably isn’t. If you are not sure, pH
tester pens are available to test the acidity of products.
Why is lignin bad for my scrapbook?
When trees are made into paper, the natural lignin
left behind in the paper will biodegrade and produce acid. This acid is
highly migratory and will turn everything it touches brown and brittle.
Newspaper almost always contains lignin, therefore if you want to include
newspaper articles into your scrapbook, you should use one of the methods
described below in ‘What if something I want to use in my scrapbook is not
acid, lignin and PVC free?’ Be sure to look for a lignin-free label on
all other scrap-booking products.
Why is PVC bad for my scrapbook?
PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC) is commonly used in plastics
because it is very inexpensive to manufacture. Over time, the chloride
releases chlorine, which turns into hydrochloric acid and will make your
pictures and papers yellow. Therefore, make sure the page protectors and
pockets you purchase are labeled PVC free. Polypropylene, polyethylene
and mylar are safe to use.
What if something I want to use in my scrapbook is
not acid, lignin and PVC free?
If something is labeled archival quality, it means it has been determined to meet minimum archival preservation requirements to last a very long time. So then what do you do with your memorabilia that is of unknown archival quality? You can either: 1) Color copy it onto acid free paper, which is highly recommended for items such as old letters, newspaper articles and maps. 2) Use polypropylene pockets for items such locks of hair, flowers, and coins. 3) Use a buffering spray that will neutralize the acidic properties of your items. Note that the buffering properties of the spray will eventually fade and must be periodically reapplied for maximum effectiveness.
Hope this helps you begin your scrapbooking adventure. For more scrapbooking tips, visit http://www.baby-scrapbook-ideas.com/. Happy scrapping!