First Choice Restoration Talks About Saving Water Damaged Documents

What to Do When Documents and Photos Get Wet

PHILADELPHIA, PA, July 18, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Flooding and leaking roofs can often cause damage to not just the structure of a home but the contents in the home as well. In particular documents, books, and photos are most at risk for damage from water. However, homeowners can save these items within 2 days of the damage. If a homeowner waits longer than two days before starting the salvation of these items, then mold can begin to grow, and deterioration can set in.

Saving Photos:
If possible, homeowners should save photos that are in frames while the photos are still wet. Otherwise more damage might occur to the photos if they are left to dry first. To save wet photos from frames, homeowners should rinse the photos and the frame with water and gently remove the photos from the frame.

If photos the wet photos are very old, the homeowner should contact a professional first. Older photos are sensitive to damage and restoration.

Photos should be removed from water or mud immediately. Homeowners should be careful to not touch the front of the photos. Photos should be placed on a rigid surface and cleaned of any excess mud or dirt. Once the photos are cleaned, they should be placed on blotting paper and dried inside away from sunlight to avoid curling.

Photos can be rinsed, placed in between wax paper, and frozen so that salvaging them can take place at a later date.

Saving Books and Documents:
Documents should be removed from water with care. Documents that are dirty should be rinsed gently and placed on plain white paper towels on a hard surface. Wet documents should be dried inside away from sunlight to avoid curling. Homeowners may use an oscillating fan to increase air flow and speed up the drying process.

Absorbent paper should be placed between every 20 to 50 wet pages of a waterlogged book. The book should be laid flat to dry and the blotting paper should be changed every few hours. Waterlogged books can also be placed vertically with the pages fanned out to air dry, a fan can speed this process up.

Wet books can be placed in Ziplock bags and placed in the freezer to postpone the drying process. Placing the books in the freezer will prevent mold from growing and preserve the book for future restoration.

After the drying process has been completed, and the books smell musty they can be placed within an open box which is then placed into a closed container with baking soda. The baking soda should never touch the books.

Most of these steps can be followed and used at home. However, there could be certain instances when the restoration of photos, books, or documents should be left to professionals. Professionals having the training, equipment, and experience needed to properly salvage books, photos and important documents that homeowners wish to keep.

Individuals interested in hiring an established water remediation company in Philadelphia, PA can contact First Choice Restoration by visiting their website or by speaking with a customer service representative by calling 800-370-0770. Let First Choice Restoration, be your first choice!

About First Choice Restoration
First Choice Restoration is a water, mold, fire, and smoke remediation company headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. The company also operates additional offices throughout other areas of Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware. The company has been assisting homeowners and businesses with water, mold, fire, and smoke cleanup for over 40 years.



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