During a flooding incident, your documents and books are at great risk. These personal artifacts may hold value beyond measure and we understand the value of maintaining their sentimental weight-reduction.
It is very important to begin salvaging your water-damaged photos, publications, and files in just two days or they will begin to become deteriorate and moldy. Both the water and the ensuing humidity in the air can cause permanent deterioration. The great news is that there is a way how to conserve water-damaged photos, newspapers, and books, but only if you act quickly and operate with care.
Saving Water-Damaged Photos
- Save pictures in frames when they’re nonetheless saturated, otherwise, you may hurt the photos when trying to eliminate them. To safely separate a wet photo of a photo frame, gently wipe both photo and framework together with plain water, and carefully remove the photo.
- For saving very old photos, consult with a professional conservator first. These historical photographs are somewhat more sensitive to damage and recovery. Click here to find out more.
- When you are ready, remove the photos from the water or mud being careful not to touch the very front of the photos.
- Set the photos picture side up onto a rigid surface like a plank.
- If photos have dirt on them, rinse them gently using warm water in a sink or bucket.
- After cleansing the photos, place them on blotting paper, such as a paper towel.
- Dry the photos indoors. Do not take them outside as sunlight and wind will cause photos to curl faster.
- Let photos air-dry, but change the paper towels each one to two hours.
- If drying the photos is not your priority, then you can buy some time by freezing them. Just make sure to first rinse them of dirt and pile them between sheets of wax paper. This can make them easier to distinguish when treated.
Saving Water-Damaged Books and Documents
- Eliminate your documents from the water. If the newspapers are dirty, gently rinse them and lay them on a flat surface at the top of the blotted paper. Use paper towels with no prints and avoid paper. Keep changing the paper towels.
- Do not dry them outside where sunlight and wind can curl these items. Let them air-dry inside and run an oscillating fan in the room to improve airflow and accelerate drying.
- For waterlogged novels, place one absorbent paper between each 20 to 50 wet pages and put the novels flat to dry. Change the blotting paper every couple of hours.
- If you can set the books in a vertical position, try to fan the pages out and allow them to air-dry. Accelerate the drying process using a fan.
- To postpone the drying of paper documents or books, seal them in plastic zipper bags and stick them in the freezer. This helps preserve them and prevents mold from developing until they’re all set to be restored.
- If newspapers and novels smell musty after drying, set them in an open box and then put that within a closed container with baking soda to absorb odors. Don’t let baking soda signature the books.
For Professional Water Damage Restoration, Telephone PuroClean
Even though you might be able to follow each of these steps yourself, employing a document and photo recovery specialist is generally a safer choice. PuroClean’s trained technicians have the equipment and experience to purge sensitive files and bring them safely back to life. If your house suffers from water damage, call the professionals at your regional PuroClean. Learn more about them here.