Acid free???

[cyndithia]

Ok, I am somewhat new to scrapping, but I do know that items used should be labeled acid-free and lignin-free. However, what about some items that are not labeled as such like buttons, ribbon, notebook paper, post-its, or mod podge? I have seen some projects described using some of these items, yet I wasn't aware they would be safe (esp the mod podge and post-its). Also, are the sprays to make items acid-free really effective/worth it? I have lots of items that I don't want to leave out of my scrapbooks that probably are not photo safe (I spent a year in Europe and have lots of ticket stubs, brochures, post cards, etc). I don't really want to scan these and print them out onto other paper; I like the originals! Thanks

[MSBetsyZ]

One term that's helpful when choosing paper is "buffered." From what I understand, this means that even if you do use items that are not acid free, such as the memorabilia you referred to, the buffering prevents the acid from traveling to the rest of your page and any other items.

[LateBlossom]

Here's my understanding, though if anybody else has better info, please teach us!

The sprays are effective for neutralizing acid, and they will help preserve things like ticket stubs and newspaper clippings way longer than they would last without the spray. Lignin only appears in wood based products, and I don't know exactly why it's bad, but the sprays won't fix it for the long term. Not sure what the consequences are for the long haul.

Betsy's right about buffered paper. It will keep acid from migrating to other parts of the page. You can also use the clear envelopes available in sb'ing stores to present acidic stuff on the page. They will keep the acid from going anywhere else.

If you use individual page protectors, too, you can load all the brochures and such into them and just accept that they will degrade faster than the rest of your album. As long as there's nothing in the page protector that the acid could hurt (such as photos or journaling), they shouldn't affect the rest of your book. That's what I did with my printed wedding napkin and program. That way, the originals are with the album, but they are at the back in their own page protector where they can't hurt anything else.

HTH. And if anyone can educate us on lignin, I'd sure appreciate it!