There are a range of plastic sleeves that are suitable for use with archival records. “Good” plastics are polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET). For archival storage, polyester is the most stable choice. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) should be avoided. This is the plastic that has that characteristic plastic smell and an oily quality to the surface. PVC will, over time, release vapours which are acidic and extremely damaging to photographs and paper documents. It can also cause some media, like photocopy toner, to soften and stick to the plastic or other sheets.
Document sleeves that have the words “copy safe” on them are made from polyethylene or polypropylene and are available from the supermarket, newsagents and stationary shops. These sleeves can be put into a ring binder to keep them together.
Other options are zip lock sandwich bags and oven bags. Oven bags are made of polyester which is the most stable plastic of the three listed above. Polyester film is sold under the names “Mylar” or “Melinex”.
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