Cleaning the pictures

(star trail photos), After getting the Pictures back from the developer and letting my 3 y/o take a look he left some grimmy stains on them. I didn't think much of them until I had them scanned in and seen what appeared to be meteor trails. What should I use to clean the photo off before scanning if new photo's get touched?

(I have other questions i'll post in separate threads)

Michael,

The items that appear to be like meteor trails are probably either scanning artifacts or scratches on your negatives / prints. The easiest way to tell if it is a scanning artifact would be to rotate the prints 90 degrees and scan them again; if it is a scanner artifact, the lines won't rotate with the image.
I have found from my experience working in photolabs that Pec-12 photographic emulsion cleaner produced by Photographic Solutions works the best for cleaning prints and color negatives. I generally use it with Pec pads, a special lint free non-abrasive disposable cleaning clothes. The Pec products are not widely available for resale but can be found at many of the larger photo supply mail order houses ( Adorama, for instance).

Joplin