WHAT ARCHIVISTS ADVISE

Save the
reel.

Somewhere in a loft there is a tin of family films.

Film is made of plastic that slowly breaks down, and colours fade. Film archives say good storage is the best preservation step you can take: cool, fairly dry, clean and stable. Warm lofts and damp cellars are the places to avoid.

COOL + DRY keeps film alive

Check a reel

A stack of old metal film tins and small cine reels on a wooden shelf in soft window light — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Sniff the can
Keep it cool and dry
Watch a copy
Small steps, longer life

THE SHORT ANSWER

Film decays,
but slowly if kept cool.

Heat and humidity speed up every kind of film decay.
Cool, moderately dry storage slows them all.

THE SMELL

Vinegar means decay

Acetate 'safety' film that is breaking down gives off a pungent vinegar smell, followed by shrinking and buckling. Once it starts in earnest, it speeds up.

Check a reel

HANDLING

Edges only

The Library of Congress advises clean hands and new nitrile gloves, and handling film only by its edges, never touching the image side.

Care steps

VIEWING

Watch a copy

Use duplicates for viewing when possible, and fit the projector with a low-heat bulb. Let film from cool storage warm to room temperature for 24 hours first.

See the numbers

A QUICK REEL CHECK

What is your
film telling you?

Pick what you notice to see what archivists say it means. The bar shows how urgently the film needs attention.

Reel check

Choose what you noticeNo smell, film flexibleColours gone pink or purpleA vinegar smell from the canBrittle, shrunken or curledVery old nitrate film

No smell, film flexibleStore well

Keep it somewhere relatively dry (30 to 50% relative humidity), cool, clean and stable, away from radiators and vents, wound neatly in a supportive container.

Colours gone pink or purpleDye fading

Colour dyes fade by spontaneous chemical change, and many older films take on a purplish cast as cyan and yellow fade. Cold storage slows it.

A vinegar smell from the canAct now

This is vinegar syndrome, decay of acetate film. Move it to a ventilated container, keep it cool and away from other films, as its gases can harm them.

Brittle, shrunken or curledAdvanced decay

These are later signs of vinegar syndrome. Film in advanced stages needs cold or frozen storage, or copying, to preserve it.

Very old nitrate filmFire hazard

Nitrate film is highly flammable, can self-ignite at around 100°F (about 38°C) and cannot be put out once alight. Keep it cool, ventilated and isolated.

Sources: Library of Congress, Care, Handling, and Storage of Motion Picture Film; National Film Preservation Foundation, Vinegar Syndrome and Color Dye Fading.

Based on the Library of Congress and the National Film Preservation Foundation. For valuable or badly decayed film, contact a film archive.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Films fade,
and many are lost.

One figure on how fast colour fades,
one on how much early film has already gone.

≈ 40 years

Until significant fading at room conditions

The National Film Preservation Foundation says today's colour films will show significant fading in about 40 years at room conditions, and earlier ones faded in just a few years. Cold storage slows it.

COLOUR FADING · NFPF

20%

US features of the 1910s and 1920s surviving complete

The Library of Congress has documented that only 20% of US feature films from the 1910s and 1920s survive in complete form in American archives.

SURVIVAL · LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, VIA NFPF

Archivists call home movies, newsreels and other non-commercial films 'orphan films': they fall outside commercial preservation and often survive as one-of-a-kind copies.

FOUR CARE STEPS

Look after the original,
enjoy a copy.

None of these needs special skills. They follow the care and storage guidance used by the Library of Congress.

Choose the right spot
Cool, relatively dry and stable. Avoid lofts, cellars and places at risk of leaks or temperature extremes.
Let decaying film breathe
Take smelly reels out of sealed containers, use ventilated ones and keep them apart from other films.
Handle by the edges
Wear clean nitrile gloves, keep food and drink away, and never touch the image side of the film.
Warm up before playing
Let film from cool storage reach room temperature over at least 24 hours, and watch a copy if you can.

A vintage cine projector on a wooden table beside a small reel of film — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Hands in blue nitrile gloves holding a strip of cine film up to the light by its edges — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

WHEN TO CALL AN ARCHIVE

Your films may be
history too.

Film preservationists save film by copying it onto new, more stable stock, storing the originals cool and dry, and sharing copies. Home movies are among the films still at risk, because they fall outside commercial preservation programmes.

Some archives collect amateur films. The National Library of Scotland, for example, invites people with Scottish-related amateur films to contact its Moving Image Archive before sending anything in.

Questions

Questions people ask

Why does my old film smell of vinegar?

It is a sign of vinegar syndrome, the breakdown of acetate film base. The smell comes first, then shrinkage, brittleness and buckling. Warm, humid storage speeds it up.

How can I test film for vinegar syndrome?

Archivists use A-D Strips, treated paper strips placed in the can for a day or so that change colour with the degree of decay. They can detect it before you notice a smell.

Where is the best place to keep old cine film?

Somewhere cool, relatively dry (30 to 50% relative humidity), clean and stable. Avoid attics, basements, radiators and vents.

Is it safe to project my old home movies?

The Library of Congress advises using duplicates for viewing when possible, fitting a low-heat bulb, keeping the projector clean, and letting cool-stored film warm up for at least 24 hours.

Why are the colours in my old films purple?

Colour dyes fade over time. Cyan and yellow dyes often fade fastest, leaving many older films with a purplish cast. Cold storage is the way to slow fading.

Save the
reel.