How to keep and store your photos and memorabilia

At Smartbox, we understand that there are special items that you want to keep because they remind you of a time, place, person or an event. It may be a collection of memorabilia, a piece or artwork, your children’s or grandchildren’s doodles, school projects and photographs. These are important items we want to preserve for as long as possible and ensure that they’re handled properly. But sometimes we neglect these items, often because we don’t have time to organise, maintain and store them properly. So, we’ve decided to share some tips with you to help you sort and preserve your memories.

Decide what to keep

This is the most difficult step in your sorting and preservation process. Below are some key tips to help you decide what to keep and what to let go:

  • Keep items: Objects that as Marie Kondo would say “brings you joy”. This includes items that reflects your favourite events or time in your life, your accomplishments and photos of your loved ones
  • Let it go items: These are valuables you keep out of guilt or out of obligation. These could include gifts you received from your friends or relatives and items that once belonged to somebody else.

Get everyone involved

This is particularly useful if you’re organising items that involves the whole family such as heirlooms or photographs. It’s also a great way to reminisce about the good times and can help you pass on items to another family member who may want to keep them due to their sentimental value.

Take a breather and give yourself time

Before you move on to the next phase, it may be a good idea to take a break. Sorting your valuables can be overwhelming and time consuming and is a process that takes even longer mainly because the emotions involved. So, give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the process.

Scan them and make digital versions

Finally, one of the best and affordable ways to preserve your photos and artworks is to convert them into digital copies. For fragile photographs, make sure you search for trusted and professional photo scanning service to help you. They can make sure that your photographs are scanned and handled with care.

You can also scan diplomas, wedding invitations, birth announcements, school work, your children’s or grandchildren’s artworks and other important papers.

Store them for long-term preservation

If space is an issue in your organisation and preservation process, you may want to consider using a rental storage solution like Smartbox. Smartbox is the convenient, mobile and affordable self-storage solution designed to help you clear up space in your home and store your valuables safely. We deliver your storage container to you, so all you have to do is organise, pack and load your items into your Smartbox, and we’ll store your items at our secure storage facility. For more information about Smartbox, visit our How Smartbox works page or speak to one of our friendly team members on 1300 880 800.