Picked up a water-damaged photo album from the 40s and tried the freeze-dry method I always ignored

For years I thought freeze-drying old wet photos was a waste of time, just let them air dry like I always did. But after a basement flood in my house near Columbus last month, I had this 1940s album with 30+ photos stuck together. I gave it a shot in a chest freezer for 72 hours and the pages separated perfectly with almost no color bleed. Anyone else tried this trick or got a better way to handle stuck photos?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_faith10h ago

Seventy-two hours in a standard freezer worked perfectly for my grandmother's wedding photos from 1947 last winter.

gibson.seth8h ago

Freezers can be okay for some things, but I would be really careful about humidity. Condensation when you take them out can ruin photos pretty fast if you're not watching it. Your mileage may vary depending on where you live and how sealed the container is. I've heard of people putting them in a plastic bag with all the air squeezed out first to help with that. Just something to think about if anyone tries this method.