2017
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How to Clean 35mm Slides – The Best Ways for Cleaning Photo Slides Written by: Cora Foley
Slides provide amazing, 1st generation images – creating the ability to produce uninhibited printed and digital copies of the original picture. HOWEVER, for the digital images to be clear, you must scan a clean slide.
Nowadays, slides typically end up stored in carousels or boxes in attics and basements. This exposes them to dirt, dust, and other debris. This can cause permanent damage to your 35mm slides if you aren’t careful.
To ensure the safety and longevity of your images, they need to be scanned either by yourself or a company like Smooth Photo Scanning Services. But, prior to scanning, make sure you have a clean slide to receive the highest quality scan. And how to clean 35mm slides is what as follows:.
How to Clean 35 mm Slides Effectively
How to Clean 35mm Slides (Mildly Dirty 35mm Slides)
Digital ICE Technology: A variety of high-quality scanners come equipped with this technology. To detect dust particles & minor scratches prior to scanning, digital ICE utilizes infra-red (IR) light. Defects detected by IR light are then corrected as the images are scanned. What’s more, is this technology also color corrects, optimizes contrast & exposure, and reduces film noise. You can either purchase a scanner that has this technology or you can use Smooth Photo Scanning for the 35mm slide scanning services– we only use slide scanners with Digital ICE technology.
How to Clean 35mm Slides (Moderately Dirty 35mm Slides)
While digital ICE is amazing for mildly dirty slides, slides may need to be cleaned prior to scanning if there is a substantial amount of dust, dirt, or debris.
Hands-on Approach: You’ll need a microfiber cloth, similar to the ones used for cleaning glasses lenses, & clean gloves. Then you will clean slides by gently wiping the debris off. Be sure you are gentle – as using too much pressure can leave smudges. Using gloves ensures that you won’t get any fingerprints on the slides and that the oils in your hands won’t degrade the emulsion layer of the slide, but this method can be done without them if you are careful to only hold the edges of the slides.
*If slides are mounted in cardboard or plastic it is best to remove them to avoid just pushing any debris to the edges.
Compressed Air: Some people worry that using the hands-on method to clean slides leaves room for accidental scratches. If you are nervous about this you can also use compressed air. Using compressed air allows for larger debris to be blown off of slides without as big of a risk of leaving scratches on the film as using a cloth.
Alcohol-Based Cleaning Solution: We only recommend using this method if you are experienced with handling different types of film media. Make sure you have an alcohol-based film cleaner, cotton pads, and compressed air. Use a film cleaner that has a neutral pH level and contains NO WATER. Water will damage your slides. Pour the film cleaner on the cotton pad and gently wipe the slides. Don’t over-saturate the cotton pads. After you have fully wiped every slide – use compressed air to blow off any cotton fibers that may remain and to dry the remainder of the film cleaner.
What Now?
All of these methods will result in clean slides perfect for scanning! Exercise caution and use a gentle touch ensuring none of the debris accidentally scratches the 35mm slides during cleaning. Once your slides are clean, place your order with Smooth Photo Scanning so we can get started scanning!
Cora Foley has worked at Smooth Photo Scanning for almost 4 years now. Her passion for memory creation and preservation drew her to this family-owned company. After using Smooth Photo Scanning Services for her own memories, she wanted to help the company spread their reach so more people can enjoy, share and preserve their own experiences through digitized photos, negatives, video tapes and more. She loves working at this company due to their passion of preserving important moments!