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How to Remove Yellowing from Old Newspaper Photos

Old newspaper photographs should be maintained with care. Because of the nature of newspaper, untreated photographs or clippings can easily yellow over time. Laminating newspaper photographs and storing them in acid-free archival boxes help prevent yellowing. However, if you were unable to store your clippings properly and they have yellowed, a simple bleaching process will restore them to their normal color.

Things You'll Need

Wide, shallow bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Bleach
Water
Paintbrush
Wax paper

Instructions

- 1
  Mix a solution of one part bleach to 15 parts water in a bowl.
- 2
  Dip a paintbrush into the bleach solution and saturate a corner of the newspaper photo. Allow the corner to dry thoroughly, and then assess the results. If the corner is still too yellow, add more bleach in half-teaspoon increments until you achieve the results you want. If the bleach faded the corner of the photograph, reduce the amount of bleach and the soaking time. The amount of bleach and bleaching time will vary based on how yellow the photographs are.
- 3
  Once you've determined the proper bleach ratio and bleaching time, dip the photograph in the bleach solution until it is fully saturated. Allow it to sit in the bleach solution for the amount of time you've determined. Then remove it and place it on wax paper to dry.

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