Advice on drying wet documents

http://www.archives.gov/preservation/holdings-maintenance/wet-records.html?template=print
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

www.archives.gov


What should I do with wet records?

Many record materials will respond well to simple air drying as long as minor physical distortion is acceptable. Small quantities may be spread out on top of clean blotting material (paper toweling, etc.) in a cool dry location with plenty of air circulation.

When records are very wet, teams line clean, dry boxes with thin plastic bags before filling to keep the boxes dry.

As long as materials are not too densely packed and active drying conditions are maintained, mold growth should be mitigated. While high heat and harsh sunlight will dry records quickly, they may permanently damage record materials and should be avoided.

Quantities too large to handle within the first 48 hours should be frozen either for defrosting and air drying at a later date, or for referral to a commercial drying vendor or preservation professional.

For response and recovery guidelines see:

* Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Response and Recovery Salvage Instructions
* A Primer on Disaster Preparedness, Management and Response: Paper-Based Materials
* Salvage Operations for Water Damaged Collections by Betty Walsh, Conservator Provincial Archives of British Columbia

Some record materials will dry more satisfactorily than others; and metal, plate glass, some photographs and furniture may be exceptions to freezing. Questions about the treatment of particularly valuable wet records should be referred to a preservation professional immediately.

For a referral, see:

* American Institute for Conservation's (AIC) Guidelines for Selecting a Conservator

Page URL: http://www.archives.gov/preservation/holdings-maintenance/wet-records.html

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 • Telephone: 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272


http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/preservation/faq/wetdocuments.htm
How to deal with wet documents

If your documents, books or photographs are wet following an accident or flood, immediate action needs to be taken to prevent mould growth and physical distortion of the paper. Although flood damage to some items may be irreversible, following the steps below can give your collections a good chance of survival. Most small or medium-sized private home collections can be easily and cheaply treated by air-drying. In the event of water damage to larger or valuable collections, or if in doubt about the best course of action, consider contacting a trained library and archives conservator for advice.
Mould growth

Immediately remove wet items from flooded or damp places, as mould will begin to grow within 2 to 3 days. Mould spores flourish in warm, damp, stagnant conditions, and in the dark, so make sure the items are moved to a suitable environment before starting the drying process. First place blotting material, such as unprinted newsprint paper, paper towels, rags, etc., underneath the drying documents to absorb excess moisture. Circulating air will dry most materials and fans can safely be used as long as the airflow is directed away from the documents. See the table below for guidance on air-drying.
Paper distortion

Paper-based collections will immediately begin to show signs of physical distortion, which makes the paper extremely fragile and easily torn or damaged. As no drying method can completely restore a collection, some cockling should be expected.
Wet book diagram


Handling

The following handling precautions should always be observed:

Wet Books:

Do not open wet volumes or close those that have fallen open

Do not separate covers from text blocks

Handle one item at a time

Do not press water out of wet books

Unbound Documents:

Keep all documents in order

Do not blot surfaces of documents that have water-soluble inks

Photographic Material:

Do not allow wet photographic materials to dry in contact with one another

Do not touch the emulsion (print) side of photographic materials

Seek assistance from photographic conservators for further salvage and recovery advice
Material How to air-dry

Saturated Books


Stand on head on absorbent paper with covers open slightly; place absorbent paper between text block and covers; change absorbent paper as soon as it becomes wet and turn books alternately to rest on head and tail each time the paper is changed.
Partially Wet Books Interleave absorbent paper every 20 pages with interleaving extending beyond the head (or tail) and text block; lay book flat; change interleaving when wet.
Damp Books Stand on tail fanned open in a current of air; when almost dry lay book flat and place absorbent paper between covers and text block; reshape if possible; place light weight (covered in clean paper to prevent marking) on top until completely dry.
Bound Coated Papers/ Glossy Magazines Interleave between each page with waxed paper; damp books should be stood on their heads and fanned open; fan through pages frequently to prevent sticking.
Unbound Coated Papers Every sheet of coated paper should be separated from each other before drying; spread documents on table or floor and change absorbent paper beneath as it becomes wet.
Saturated Documents Spread documents on table or floor and change absorbent paper beneath as it becomes wet.
Damp Documents Flatten by placing between two sheets of absorbent paper and applying even pressure with weights until dry.
Photographic Prints Remove from frame or mat; place on absorbent paper with face up and change paper when wet; if print appears to be stuck to glass do not remove and dry intact with the glass side down.
Photographic Negatives (roll or strip) Dry emulsion side up on absorbent paper (change when wet) or hang carefully on a line with plastic clips.
Getting in touch

Websites

* Office of Public Sector Information
* Your Archives
* Directgov

The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey,

http://www.content4reprint.com/home/document-drying-restoration-and-protection-for-your-wet-documents.htm
Document Drying - Restoration And Protection For Your Wet Documents

Most legal documents these days are computer-generated. However, there are still a good number of businesses around the world today that greatly rely on paper documents. And the loss of important files has serious implications on such companies and the commercial documents they maintain.

How about your personal papers and book collections? Can you afford losing them? Much like these companies, you also lose a piece of yourself when you found all your legal papers, such as your marriage contract and certificate of birth, all soaked up in flood water.

While you may feel so unlucky for residing in a flood-prone area, you are still fortunate because you can now find document drying services around you. Whether you are a record manager who's having problems on recovering wet documents, or a private individual who wants to save your much-needed records and legal papers, there are companies out there to assure you 100% document recovery if you act immediately.

So what will kind of restoration will a document drying company do to your wet papers? It will prevent your photographic papers from drying and sticking on each other and it will freeze dry your legal papers to avoid further damage. In short, it will stabilize your documents and make them highly reusable.

Document Drying Services

The service you need largely depends on the document you want to save and the extent of water damage. Here are some of the document drying services you will find in the industry and the processes involved in recovering and preserving such materials:

* Wet Documents, Wet Blueprints, Wet Maps Drying Services:
* Vacuum freeze-drying
* Surface grime, mold and soot removal
* Deodorizing (to do away with smoke odor)
* Re-jacketing (applicable for files, books and binders)
* Microfilming or scanning damaged documents
* Relabeling
* Indexing of damaged records

* Wet Book Drying Services:
* Vacuum freeze-drying
* Cryogenic freeze-drying (for vellum and leather-bound books)
* Surface grime, mold and soot removal
* Text block trim (if necessary)
* Deodorizing (to do away with smoke odor)
* Rebinding (meets the LBI preservation standards)

* Wet Photographic Prints and Negatives Drying Services:
* Surface grime, mold and soot removal
* Relabeling and re-housing
* Re-jacketing (applicable for files, books and binders)
* Drying and processing undeveloped film

* Wet Microfilm/ Microfiche/ X-ray film/ Aperture Cards drying services:
* Surface grime, mold and soot removal
* Complete drying
* Relabeling and re-housing
* Roll film re-spooling
* Back file conversion
* Separating adhered x-ray films

* Wet Magnetic Diskettes and Disk Drives drying Services:
* Surface grime, mold and soot removal
* Drying
* Uploading data to tape or copying it to a new disk

* Wet Audio/Video Tape drying services:
* Disassembly and Cleaning of Components
* Vacuum-drying
* Re-spooling
* Duplication (if necessary)

Some companies may include additional methods or processes to preserve and protect your damaged records. However, please be reminded that there are still bad apples out there who will give you less than what you pay for. So it really pays to ask first before employing the document drying services of any company.

So the next time a flood rages through your office or home, you know what to do. Take your files immediately to a document drying service. Remember: document drying is cheaper than replacing your legal papers and business records.

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=4026
Still Hope For Wet Documents, Photos, Computer Disks or Tapes

Release Date: August 8, 2002
Release Number: 1425-62
San Antonio, TX -- Your invaluable business papers, journals, photographs, documents and computer disks can sometimes be saved even after prolonged submersion in murky waters such as the Texas floods of 2002.
The Division of Emergency Management, Texas Department of Public Safety (DEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offer recommendations from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for recovery of water-damaged belongings.

"Water-soaked papers and records should be isolated from other materials as soon as possible, because they will affect unsoiled goods," said State Coordinating Officer Duke Mazurek. "Documents, books and photographs may be extremely fragile when wet and care should be taken when handling them," he cautioned.

Valuable papers such as books, photographs, and stamp collections can be restored, but it may take a great deal of effort. They can be rinsed and frozen, in a frost?free freezer or commercial meat locker, until you have time to work on them. "Mold and mildew are the enemy, so time is of the essence," said Steve Drake, government information analyst for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. "The best culture for mold and mildew is high humidity and high temperatures. It's most important to lower the humidity and temperature as quickly as possible." Drake recommends renting a refrigerated truck from a truck leasing agency if the volume and importance of documents to be preserved dictates and individual resouces allow it.

A slightly less effective alternative to freezing is to place paper in a sealed container, such as a plastic bag, with moth crystals.

Dry papers quickly once you begin to thaw or unseal them. A blow dryer works well. Don't try to force paper products apart--just keep drying them. You may want to photocopy valuable papers and records soon because substances in the floodwater may make them deteriorate.

Photographs and negatives that have gotten wet and stuck together should never be pulled apart. Soak them in clean water until they separate on their own. Rinse them in more clean water. Do not touch the wet surface. Allow them to dry on a clean, smooth surface, or handle them gently, and hang them on indoor lines with paper clips or clothespins.

Freezing can be trickier for older photos and shouldn't be tried with those more than 50 years old. Electronic restoration is the most promising option for these. Newer photos that have stuck together in piles also can be temporarily stored in a bucket of cold, clean water to minimize damage until you have time to work with them. Photos, paper and books that are still wet have not yet been attacked by mildew. Mildew doesn't grow on wet material; it grows on damp material.

If a computer disk or tape has valuable information, rinse it in clear water and put it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Later, you can take it to a professional drying center and have the data transferred to a good disk or tape. Many companies that specialize in restoring computers and computer records after a disaster are members of the Disaster Recovery Institute. To find a member company near you, call toll-free, 888-374-7845.

Books. If a book is obviously wet and still closed, keep it closed to avoid more damage. Let it drain, and then freeze it. When beginning the drying process, follow the steps below:

1. Place books on end with the leaves separated.
2. When they are partially dry, pile and press books to keep pages from crumpling.
3. Alternate between drying and pressing until books are thoroughly dry to help prevent mildew. Use a fan to hasten drying.
4. If books and papers are very damp sprinkle cornstarch or talcum powder between leaves to absorb moisture. Leave powder for several hours then brush it off.
5. When books are nearly dry, apply low heat with an electric iron. Separate pages to prevent musty odors. This is tedious, so save the process for valuable books.
6. When books are thoroughly dry, close them and use C-clamps or weights to help them retain their shape.

Because the information given is general, FEMA, AIC and the Texas State Library strongly recommend that professional conservators be consulted regarding the appropriate method of treatment for historic objects. "It is extremely important to retard mold and mildew growth quickly either by sealing damaged items in plastic, airtight bags or with refrigeration," Drake said.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 13-Aug-2003 13:51:47


http://sos.georgia.gov/archives/how_may_we_help_you/emergency_advice/emergency_response_wet_damaged_objects.htm
Books

* Remove mud or debris before drying. Rinse closed books in a bucket with cold running water. Carefully blot (do not rub) mud with a sponge.
* Very wet volumes—freeze and then thaw and air dry in small groups, or contact a disaster recovery vendor to inquire about vacuum freeze drying.
* Small quantities of damp and slightly wet volumes--air dry.
* When air drying,
o Air dry in a well-ventilated, low humidity area (RH less than 60%, if possible).
o Fan the volume open and stand upright on volume's drier end. (Placing absorbent paper –paper towels, unprinted newsprint, or blotting paper-- beneath the volume will help absorb wetness that may be present on the drier end of the book.)
o Interleave text every 20 or so pages with dry paper. Replace interleaving papers as they become wet. (Please note: Avoid excessive interleaving, as this can cause distortion to the volume's binding)
o When book is nearly dry, place under weight to prevent warping.
o Immediately contact a book conservator for more detailed information on salvaging vellum or other rare bindings.

Documents and Records

Large quantities of very wet documents should be frozen. Contact a disaster recovery vendor to inquire about vacuum freeze drying, or thaw small quantities of documents and air dry.

* Air drying is suitable for small quantities of damp and slight wet documents.
* When air drying;
o Remove any colored enclosures or folders that may bleed.
o Spread documents out on flat surfaces protected by absorbent paper such as unprinted newsprint, paper towels, or blotting paper. Replace the absorbent paper when it becomes wet.
o Coated (glossy) sheets must be individually separated to prevent sticking. Uncoated papers can be dried in small stacks of about 25 sheets.
o Use polyester film (Mylar, Mellinex) to separate wet sheets of paper. Press the sheet of polyester on top of a stack of wet papers, and gently lift up the paper with the polyester film.

Photographic Prints

* If stuck together or dirty, submerge in a tray or bucket of cold water. (Maximum of 72 hours for black and white, 48 hours for color.)
* When air drying;
o Spread prints out on flat surfaces protected by unprinted newsprint, paper towels, or blotting paper. Print should lay emulsion (image) side up. If the prints have borders, they may hang from a clothesline.
o When nearly dry, place prints under light weight to reduce curling.

Photographic Negatives / Slides / Films

* If stuck together or dirty, submerge in a tray or bucket of cold water. (Maximum of 72 hours for black and white, 48 hours for color.)
* Air dry on flat surfaces protected by unprinted newsprint, paper towels, or blotting paper. Negatives should be placed emulsion (image) side up, or hang from clothesline.
* Remove slides from mounts, rinse, air dry and re-mount.

Ceramic, Glass, and Stone

* Do not wash if the surface is fragile. Watch for cracking, peeling, or lifting off of surfaces. Immediately contact an objects conservator if this occurs.
* If object does not appear to be fragile and is in good condition, rinse in fresh, clean tap water to remove dirt, salts, and debris.
* Pat dry with soft cloth or paper toweling. Do NOT rub.
* Cover lightly with clean cloth sheets or paper towels and allow to slowly air dry in a protected, ventilated area.

Organics (Leather, Wood, Bone, Ivory, Basketry)

* Pat dry with paper towels. Do NOT rub surface to remove dirt or mold.
* Cover lightly with cloth sheets or paper towels and place in a suitably sized partly covered box, allowing for some air circulation. Fill leather bags and baskets with dry paper to help them maintain their shape.
* Allow to air dry very slowly in this container. Try to keep the relative humidity in the drying space below 65%.
* Watch for mold growth, warping, splitting, or insect attack. Immediately contact an objects conservator if this begins to occur.

Metals

* Pat dry with paper towels.
* Allow to air dry uncovered in a well-ventilated, low humidity area (RH below 55%, if possible).
* Watch for corrosion:
* Copper and/or bronze: powdery, light green spots on the surface
* Iron: red colored sweat spots
* If these conditions occur, immediately contact an objects conservator.

Broken Objects (Ceramic, Glass and Stone, Leather, Wood, Bone, Ivory, Basketry, Metals)

* Save all fragments, large and small.
* After drying (as specified above), wrap all fragments individually in white tissue paper. This prevents the fragments from rubbing against one another and causing further damage.
* Replace any filling paper with fresh paper.
* Place all wrapped fragments flat on the bottom of a box. Pad large fragments with bubble wrap or paper.
* Contact an objects conservator for assessment and possible repair.

Paintings

* Remove painting from the wall. If the wall is wet to the touch, place de-humidifiers in room to remove excess moisture. Place fans in the room to keep air circulating. If there is no electricity, open windows to create some air flow.
* If the canvas reverse is wet to the touch, absorb as much moisture as possible from canvas reverse by gently blotting any clean, dry, absorbent paper or material (e.g., paper towels, blotting paper) against canvas reverse. Lift painting as much as needed, but do not put face down. Allow absorbent material to rest against canvas reverse for several minutes. Repeat as often as necessary until moisture stops being absorbed from canvas.
* Air dry paintings face up, placing blocks under stretchers to allow air to circulate behind the canvas. Two inch thick pieces of an inert foam, such as Ethafoam, are especially useful, but 2 x 4's will work.) Paintings can also be leaned against a table or chair to allow free air flow around the painting. This technique, however, places paintings in an insecure state and care must be taken in the placement of vulnerable items (away from constant foot traffic).
* For more information, contact a paintings conservator.


Sunday, September 27, 2009




Article Video

Water damage refers to the losses incurred by a person which are caused by water. It can be as small as a water spot that comes from leaks in your faucet or water pipes or it can be caused by flash floods which would be catastrophic and devastating. Whatever the cause might be, water damage left unattended or unsolved might be detrimental to a person’s health and can cause deterioration and damage to property.



In such cases, your books and important documents might get damaged because it is made up of paper which is very fragile and can absorb water quickly. Paper is very sensitive that it can even get damaged even without direct exposure to water. A paper damaged by water might begin to distort, its writings will possibly fade and the pages might stick together. Paper damage caused by water can manifest itself in non-physical ways. In order to check and gauge the level of damage, lightly touch your documents. If majority of its parts are wet or moist, it is a definite sign of water damage. Your documents and books can even be damaged without direct contact with the soured of water, because increased exposure to humidity can also damage it as well.



In water damage, prompt action is needed in order to salvage your belongings. If your documents are damaged and the response lag time is very long, you might need to entail the services of an expert in order to restore your documents to its previous state. This is a very tedious and expensive process. So when water damage happens, keep in mind that time is of the essence if you want to do it yourself and at your home’s convenience. Read along and learn the different ways of drying wet books and documents easily and effectively.



Cleaning your wet books and documents

* If your documents are damaged by clean water

Clean water is not dangerous and can be from sink overflows or water pipe leaks. If you have documents damaged by clean water, remove the books from the water with care; remember that since these are damaged with water, these documents can be very fragile. Refrain from opening and closing the books to minimize the damage. Books which are bound by parchment, leather and vellum have the tendency to disfigure and deteriorate faster so you might want to save those books first.



* If your documents are damaged by contaminated or dirty water

Contaminated water is also known as dirt water, sources of which can be sea water and water from the sewage. This type of water can be a breeding ground for microorganisms and bacteria which can pose serious threats to a person’s health. For your documents damaged by contaminated water, it might be a bit trickier to solve compared to documents which are damaged by clean water. The first step is to gently remove the documents from the water. If you have disposable plastic gloves, then use it to avoid any form of contamination and to minimize direct contact with the dirty water. After this, you must rinse the wet books in cold, running water. If there are dirt and mud in the documents, gently use a sponge to spray these away. Do not utilize the sponge to remove the debris directly, because it will bring more damage.



Drying your wet books and documents

The next step to salvage your water damaged documents is to dry them and keep it away from any water source that might contribute to the damage. Drying your books and documents will also prevent the occurrence of molds, which can be very harmful to people with respiratory problems. Remember that molds and other bacteria only need 24 to 48 hours to cultivate, so fast response is needed to counter this potential problem.



Of course, different drying and salvaging methods need to be applied in different cases. In applying the right drying method, you need to consider some things before choosing the applicable one. These would include: assessing the type of document which has been damaged, determining the type of water which damaged the document and the importance and value of the document.



You must also be able to evaluate and categorize the items in terms of its priority levels. As an example, you might want to put high priority for documents which are high in value and irreplaceable like birth certificates, marriage licenses, property titles and the like. You can place second priority on important books and pictures and lastly, on other replaceable books and items.



* Air Drying

The common method of drying is to let the wet items dry naturally or by air drying. You can also use a dehumidifier as another drying method. This equipment will surely increase the drying speed and lessen the time needed for your documents to dry. The air drying method can be used for books which have strong binding. Open the book gently and find the driest edge and put the weight there. Make sure that you turn the book upside-down every few hours to enable it to dry evenly. You can also use fans to make the drying process faster.



* Freezing

In cases of water damage, freezing your wet books and documents is another way of saving it. Freezing can help stop the ink from spreading which would help restore the document better, making it readable even after the drying process. This method can be used when you need the document to be salvaged and restored at the fastest time possible. To do this the proper way, seal your documents or books in a zip lock bag and put it in the freezer. It will be better to use a frost-free freezer since it is equipped with a fan which can make the drying process faster. The process of freezing will stop the water damage from increasing and prevent the deterioration of your documents.



* Using Absorbent Materials

This is a method which can be utilized after you’ve used other drying methods like air drying or freezing. You can also opt to use this method if the document in question is in an unstable and fragile condition. To do this, insert a white absorbent paper for every 10-15 pages of the damaged book. Do not add too many absorbent papers at once because it can damage the book’s binding. If the book is fully wet, you can do the interleaving by sections. Wait for an hour, and then replace the absorbent paper with a new absorbent paper. You need to place the book with the absorbent papers in a flat surface to minimize deformation. As a tip, glossy paper is hard to separate when wet, so be careful in separating them to minimize the damage.



* Making Use of Pressure to Dry your Water Damaged Documents

As a last step, you can apply pressure to your dried documents and books. If the document is still not dry, then do not apply pressure to it because it will damage it even more. It might cause the pages to stick together which will make it harder to separate and dry. You can employ this technique to books which are no longer wet, but are still cool to touch. To do this method properly, close the book and put it in a solid flat surface, then apply weight to it slowly. Make sure that you are not damaging the spine or the book binding when you are pressing weight into it.



In drying your water damaged books and documents, keep in mind that the original quality of the book will not be fully restored. The dried books will be more or less 20% thicker due to the permanent swelling of the fibers.



Minimizing the musty odor from water damaged documents

After the drying process, you might notice that the documents and books will be restored but it gives off a musty odor. In order to minimize this, you can place your water damaged books in a dry place for a few days. If this option fails, you can put your damaged documents in an open box and place an open box of baking soda. The baking soda will absorb the odor and remove the mustiness. Make sure that the baking soda is not in direct contact with the books. Also, watch out for the growth of molds since you will be keeping the books in a box for quite some time.



Utilizing the help of drying or restoration professionals

If you have exercised every method and technique possible in order to dry out your books and documents and still have not reached your end goal, then maybe it is time to seek the help of professional drying professionals. These restoration professionals have special equipment and techniques for drying out specific documents and books. Most of the restoration companies would offer the following: vacuum freeze drying, cryogenic freeze drying specifically used for books bound by leather and vellum, wet blueprint drying services and many more. These restoration companies can also help you rebind your books.



So the next time that your important documents or favorite books will be damaged by water, do not panic. Just remember all the tips mentioned above, use it
and you will be able to successfully restore your damaged documents in no time at all.