Yes, for prints, albums, negatives, slides and home cine film, with three exceptions. Old cellulose nitrate film can't go in a unit at all: it is highly flammable, and our terms bar "combustible or flammable substances" (clause 18(c)) and "potentially hazardous substances" (clause 18(e)). And clause 18(j) bars "items which are unique in nature and/or where the value to You cannot be assessed on a financial basis", which we read as covering photos and film of which no other copy exists, such as the only print of a grandparent: scan those first and keep the originals with you, or ask us before you store them. And a society collection or working archive, which we think needs specialist storage (see below). Our units are "clean and dry when you move in, properly sealed and individually alarmed", but not climate-controlled, so what you control is the packing: acid-free boxes that have passed the Photographic Activity Test, kept off the floor.
Photos, albums, negatives, slides and film at a glance
| What you have | Can it go in? | How to store it |
|---|---|---|
| Loose prints and postcards | Yes | In folders or envelopes free of "sulphur, acids, and peroxides", inside a lidded archival box. Label the back lightly in HB pencil, never ink |
| Photo albums | Yes. If it's the only copy (no files held by you or the photographer), see "Scan before you store" | Keep old albums intact and store them flat, in acid-free or photographic conservation board boxes |
| "Magnetic" (self-adhesive) albums | Yes, as they are. Don't mount any more photos in one | Don't peel stuck prints off; ask a conservator |
| Framed photos | Yes | Upright, padded, off the floor and away from the walls. Damp can make a photo stick to its glass |
| Canvas prints | Yes | Upright, off the floor, with card between them. See storing paintings and artwork |
| Negatives (film strips) | Family negatives: yes, unless it may be nitrate. A working archive of original negatives: see "For photographers" | Separately from prints, because film-based negatives "can produce acidic gases as they age" |
| Glass plate negatives | Yes. They're glass, not nitrate film, but break easily | Pad and wrap each plate separately. For broken plates, The National Archives advises "a separate, clearly marked enclosure for each piece" |
| Slides, plastic or glass | Yes | In boxes, ideally archival quality, in a dark, dry place; pad glass lantern slides, which break |
| Home cine film (8mm, Super 8, 9.5mm, 16mm) | Yes, once checked (see below) | In its cans or boxes, off the floor |
| Film made up to the early 1950s, including family roll-film negatives from before about 1950, that may be nitrate | No, if it's nitrate or you can't tell | See the next section |
| Undeveloped film | Treat it as one-of-a-kind: keep it with you or ask us first | It may hold the only copy of those pictures, so have it developed where you can |
| Cameras | Yes | Take the batteries out. Clause 20 bars "any Lithium ion batteries exceeding a watt-hour (Wh) rating of 160 Wh unless they are built-in and cannot be removed" and "portable battery chargers, power banks or any similar portable power source" |
| Any one-of-a-kind original | Ask us first | Clause 18(j): see "Scan before you store" |
Old film: nitrate can't be stored
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) calls cellulose nitrate film "extremely dangerous. It catches fire very easily and once alight is difficult to put out." It can start to decompose at temperatures as low as 38°C, and warmth and humidity speed that up. The HSE's advice to households is that "the safest course of action is not to store cellulose nitrate film", and it warns that storing it "may invalidate your insurance".
How to tell, according to the HSE:
- Nitrate was used for film and negatives made up to the early 1950s: 35mm roll film and sheets up to about 1940, popular amateur formats up to about 1950, and 35mm cinema film up to about 1951 in the UK.
- Cinema film may be marked "NITRATE FILM", "NITRATE" or "N" along its edge, or carry a printed star. Safety film may be marked "SAFETY", but the HSE cautions that "early films made on safety film may have been copied to cellulose nitrate film, and any safety film marks will also have been copied across".
- Decaying nitrate turns amber or brown, goes sticky or blistered, smells acrid, or crumbles; cans may hold fine brown powder or a ring of rust.
- Those marks are the HSE's guide for cinema film. For still negatives, go by the dates above: if you are in any doubt, the HSE says to "treat the material as cellulose nitrate and contact an expert for advice".
The HSE also says: "When examining a film, keep handling to a minimum and keep cans closed." So look at the markings once, in a well-ventilated room, then close the can and leave it closed. The HSE says to handle it in an area "which you can leave quickly in an emergency", and to "wear protective gloves and eye protection (goggles)".
Home movies on 8mm, Super 8, 9.5mm and 16mm were "always manufactured with a safety (non-flammable) base", according to the National Science and Media Museum, and the HSE says amateur 16mm and 8mm films "are almost certain to be safety film". But the HSE adds that "It was also common practice to splice cellulose nitrate leaders onto safety film or to use it to repair damaged film. The whole film should be checked thoroughly." So check the ends of each reel, and any joins, before it goes in.
Acetate safety film has its own ageing problem, known as vinegar syndrome: the US National Archives explains that the acetate base breaks down, "off-gassing acetic acid, a component of vinegar". A reel that smells of vinegar is giving off fumes, and clause 18(f) bars "any item that emits fumes, or odours", so ask us before storing it.
If you find nitrate, keep it out of the unit. The HSE says to contact a film archive, such as the BFI National Archive, about preserving or copying it, and your council's environmental health department about safe disposal. Never post it, carry it on public transport or put it out with the rubbish. If you think there's nitrate in your unit already, call us straight away.
Scan before you store
The National Archives advises having "vulnerable or unique images professionally reproduced (i.e. photographed or digitised)". We'd say the same of home movies. A copy survives damp, a leak or a fire; an original in a box doesn't always. Scanning protects the picture, but it doesn't change the original: we still read a print or negative of which no other copy exists as "unique in nature" under clause 18(j). So scan it first, then keep the original with you where you can, or call us on 0800 2545585 before you bring it. Our guide to storing valuables explains how we read clause 18(j).
Packing for a unit that isn't climate-controlled
Our units aren't heated, cooled or climate-controlled, so the temperature inside follows the seasons to some degree (see whether units get cold in winter). The National Archives advises against keeping photographs in an attic, a basement or along outside walls, "where environmental conditions are prone to extremes and fluctuations and where condensation may occur". A storage unit isn't an archive either, so pack for that:
- Use acid-free archival boxes that have passed the Photographic Activity Test, which the Image Permanence Institute describes as "an International Standard in itself: ISO 18916". The National Archives notes that photo-safe storage materials "can be ordered from specialist conservation suppliers". Our Box Shop sells moving boxes and ink-free white packing paper; neither is sold as archival.
- Keep everything off the floor, on a pallet or a layer of hard boxes, with a gap at the walls so air can move.
- Keep out PVC sleeves, rubber bands, paper clips and sticky tape.
- Check the boxes on your visits. If photos ever get wet, contact a conservator as soon as you can.
The risk stays with you: goods are stored "at Your sole risk and responsibility", including "deterioration of the Goods caused by any reason" (clause 30), so pad framed photos, glass plates and glass slides as you would any fragile item. Your goods must be insured for their replacement value (clause 31), but our guide to climate-controlled storage notes that our RSA contents policy excludes atmospheric and climatic damage; see whether contents protection covers damp and mould.
If you're clearing a relative's home
Sort out any old film and old negatives before the boxes go to storage, using the checks above. Clause 18 also stops you allowing "any other person to store" a barred item, and that includes a removals firm packing for you. For the harder question of what to keep, our guides on keeping sentimental items when space is short and where keepsakes belong when it's not the loft or the skip cover the rest.
For photographers: can I store a client archive in a storage unit?
Albums, finished prints and framed samples, yes, packed as above. A working archive of original negatives is different. Our guide to storing documents off-premises says: "If your documents include photographic negatives, fine-art prints, magnetic media, or any material with specific conservation requirements, a self storage unit is not the right answer." Backup drives (hard drives are magnetic media) fall under the same caution. So our position is that such material needs specialist storage; if you want to store part of an archive with us, ask us first. The same goes for a local history group's collection. Our terms exclude business losses (clause 30(a)), so check your own policy covers client work held off-site.
For everything else, find your nearest site, get a price online, or call us on 0800 2545585.
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