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The Darkroom › Development

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dust prevention and removal

Terry McDaniel · Sep 4, 2026 · 139 views

Just wondering how y'all do dust control. I have to hang my negatives in the shower, I always end up having to do a lot of work in post, clicking out white spots. Just wondering if I sprayed the negatives with shower water, then sprayed with Photoflo before drying if that would help.

2 replies

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Ken Mullinix · Sep 4, 2026

Some type of blower helps right before scanning. The little squeeze ball for cameras works well. Air in a can works but can spit on the film and leave a residue. I really only have dust issues with b&w because my scanner does an IR pass with color film, which turns out to be excellent for automated dust and scratch removal. Photoflo doesn't really help because the dust usually accumulates after the negative is already dry. Unless your dust is actually hard water spots. I gave up on photoflo for that, and switched to distilled water for the final rinse.

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thinbegin · Sep 22, 2026

Right before scanning, I actually give the film a nice hot-breath and wipe (with Ilford's magical Antistaticum cloth) which seems to help a TON.

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