There are lots of ways that your photo and picture frame can get damaged so here are the most important things that you can do to protect them.

Always protect your picture frame from direct sunlight

UV rays from the sun will degrade your photo and cause fading of both your photograph and picture frame. By avoiding direct sunlight you will greatly reduce the amount of fading of your color photos and solid wood frames. If there is a chance that your picture frame may get some sunlight and you want to protect your picture then get some glass or acrylic with a UV coating to reduce the damage.

Avoid moisture

Always avoid hanging pictures or artwork in areas with lots of moisture. Bathrooms are the worst but also be careful of hanging pictures near a kitchen sink. Moisture can cause a big problem especially if you’re using a frame with a sealed back. If the frame is sealed on the back there is no way to let the moisture escape so it damages the picture. Generally ready made picture frames all have ways for the picture to breath so the ones to watch out for are custom frames. Often custom framers will seal the back of the frame with paper to keep out dust but that can instead trap in moisture and wreak havoc on your photograph.

And if you live in a humid climate, I would highly recommend that you take some extra precautions with your photos if you care about them. In high humidity climates, you may want to consider using mats or small spacers to prevent the picture from touching the glass. If your picture continually touches the glass in a high humidity climate, your picture could permanently stick to the glass making it impossible to remove without damaging it. By adding a mat on top of your photo or small spacers it will actually create a small gap so the picture can’t touch the glass. This is all you need to create some airflow and prevent damaging your photos.

Avoid cleaning the glass with spray cleaner while the picture is in the frame

This seems really basic but I can’t tell you how many people ruin pictures this way. It may take an extra minute to take off the picture frame back and remove the picture but you’ll never be one of those that has water marks on their favorite pictures. If you don’t want to remove your picture simply use a damp cloth (moistened with water) to dust off your picture frame.

Here are few other small but important things to avoid

• Never stack your picture frames on top of one another if you’re cleaning or moving. It may seem harmless at the time but once you scratch a metal or wood frame, it’s really hard to fix.

• Always wrap your frames in towels or plastic bubble wrap if you need to pack them up or move them. This will help protect your frame, glass and the picture. I’ve seen too many ruined frames from someone being in a hurry and figuring “they’d be fine” not to mention all of the damaged photos because the glass broke. 

Don’t make these mistake because a few extra minutes can save both your favorite frame and your picture.