Storing photos, cards, and memories: which box and where
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
Photos and cards rarely perish due to time, but rather due to moisture, heat, and the rubber bands you add. This is how you sort a shoebox full of memories, and this is how you store, label, and send what you want to keep.
At the bottom of the closet is a shoebox. Inside are photos from two decades, a few cards, a wedding invitation from someone whose name you no longer remember, a set of keys, and a rubber band that has now melted into the top edge of a photo. Everyone has a box like this. The problem isn't that you keep too much—it's that you keep everything in the same bin, in the wrong place, without anyone knowing what's inside.
Autumn is a logical time to tackle this. You're indoors more often, and another stack of cards will arrive in December. Below, we discuss what truly damages paper and photos, how to sort without getting lost in memories, and which box is suitable for what.
What goes wrong: moisture, heat, and the things you add to them
Paper and photos rarely break down due to time alone. They deteriorate due to conditions:
Moisture. Photos stick together, cardboard warps, and in the worst case, stains appear. An unheated garage, a damp basement, and a shed are therefore bad places, no matter how convenient they seem.
Temperature fluctuations. An attic that is hot in summer and cold in winter causes paper to constantly expand and contract. In the long run, this is worse than consistently cool.
Light. Colors in photos and ink on cards fade. A box in a dark closet is better than a photo frame on the windowsill.
What you add to it. Rubber bands harden and melt. Paperclips and staples rust. Tape discolors and leaves behind glue. Plastic folders from thrift stores are not always suitable for long-term storage.
The practical rule: store paper in a place where you yourself feel comfortable—an indoor closet, a bedroom wardrobe, under the bed. Not outside the heated area.
Sorting without spending an afternoon stuck in it
The pitfall is getting stuck on the first photo. Therefore, work in two rounds.
Round one is rough and fast. Make four piles: keep, discard, doubt, and 'belongs to someone else'. Don't look at the content, only the category. Duplicates, failed photos, and advertising cards go immediately. That last pile—items that actually belong to your brother, parents, or a friend—is often the most useful.
Round two is fine and slow. Now you can look. Divide the 'keep' pile into blocks that make sense to you: by period, by person, or by event. Choose one classification and stick to it; a mixed system won't work after two years.
Put the 'doubt' pile separately in a box with a date on it. If you don't get to it in a year, you'll know enough.
Which box for what
You need three levels: a large box for bulk, small boxes for fragile items, and envelopes as an intermediate layer.
For bulk, a moving box of 480x430x330 mm (50 liters) (€3.50) is the cheapest solution, but don't fill it to the brim: a full paper box becomes heavy, and the bottom is where things go wrong. For smaller blocks, a cardboard box of 15x15x15 cm (€1.99) works well: light enough to lift and small enough to fill by subject.
Don't place loose photos directly against rough cardboard. First, put them in an envelope and place the envelopes upright in the box, like cards in a tray. A pack of white C5 envelopes of 162x229 mm (€4.95 for 25 pieces) fits standard prints and cards; for larger prints, diplomas, and drawings, use A4 envelopes of 229 x 324 mm (€4.00 for 10 pieces). Write on the envelope what's inside before you fill it—writing afterwards will press through to the contents.
Labeling: the difference between keeping and losing
A box without text will be opened by someone else in five years who doesn't know what it is. Therefore, put three things on each box: what's inside, the period or person it belongs to, and the date you packed it.
If you're working with multiple boxes, give each category its own color. With price stickers in 6 colors (€2.95 for 500 pieces), you can see from a distance which box belongs to which subject—handy if they are stacked and you only see the side. Stick the label on the short side, not on the lid: that's the side you see when the box is in the cupboard.
Also make a list of the contents on paper and place it at the top. This way, anyone looking for something doesn't have to unpack everything.
Passing on and sending
The 'belongs to someone else' pile is the most enjoyable part of the job, and the moment when things go wrong. Photos sent loosely in an ordinary envelope will arrive with a crease or a fold.
For a few photos or cards, a bubble envelope of 22x17 cm (€0.90) is enough. If you're sending a thicker package—a small photo album, a set of cards, a small item—then a bundle of recycled letterbox boxes A5+ (€24.00 for 100 pieces) is a good investment if you plan to send several. If you want to make it a gift, for example for Christmas, you can use a black luxury gift box with a window of 11x10.5x12.5 cm (€2.99). Always include a note with who is in the photo and when it was taken—that's exactly the information that would otherwise disappear.
What you'd rather not let go of but do want to share: take a picture of it with your phone before it leaves. A scan or photo is not a substitute for the original, but it is the cheapest insurance there is.
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