Hello everyone.Can anyone advise me on the safe cleaning of old negatives. I have a passion for collecting old photographs & negatives and have a number of splendid 5 x 4 negatives of Steam Engines taken in the 1930's. However, several of them have finger prints on them. The chap I bought them from appeares to have had no respect for them! I know I can scan them & clean them on Photoshop, but is there a way of cleaning them without risk of damage.

Hi Kafcom,

From my personal experience, the best way to clean your old negatives is compressed air and antistatic clothe (the same you use for your glasses/screen/scanner). NO DETERGENTS OR OTHER CHEMICAL STAFF!

Some negatives might be so badly damaged that only scanning can help them. You can do a pretty good job in photoshop, however it requires some skills and takes a lot of time.

Recently I’ve sent my negs and slides to Memobase (www.memobase.co.uk). They did a great job, for 40p they clean, scan and repair your negatives. Moreover, you can pay only for scans you are satisfied with!

Good luck with your old photos!

Johny