Successfully salvaging documents after water damage is a complex procedure that goes far beyond simply air drying. Often, specialized technology such as commercial freeze dryers are needed to prevent damaging mold growth while removing moisture from paper materials. Moreover, if professional recovery methods aren't applied in a very short time interval, certain documents and materials such as photographs may be unsalvageable using any technique.
Preventing water damage to important documents is far preferable to salvaging documents after water damage occurs. While water damage is usually a random, unexpected event, you can take advance preparations to make sure that, if and when it happens, damage to documents is avoided or at least greatly minimized.
- First, decide which documents are most vital and/or cherished to protect in original form. For documents with high value in both content and original form, before properly storing, scan them to digital files, then store on an external hard drive or other storage media. Backups should be made and kept in a separate place.
- Store vital papers in commercially available water-resistant and impact-resistant file cabinets with lockable drawers. Never locate these cabinets in the basement—it's usually the first place in the house to flood with the deepest accumulation of water.
- If storing documents or other paper materials on shelving, make sure they are on a shelf that is a minimum of six inches above the floor to reduce the chances of contact with pooling water. Don't utilize the top shelf, which may be exposed to dripping through the ceiling. Also don't store documents in contact with the wall directly behind. Saturated wallboard wicks water and may transfer this moisture on contact.
- If you have a large amount of valuable documents stored in a specific space, install water alarms in the room to alert you of water intrusion.
- For irreplaceable documents of greatest value, consider off-site storage in a bank safety deposit box or another commercial facility.
If you're faced with the necessity of salvaging documents after water damage, remember that time is a critical factor in a successful outcome. Contact the water damage experts at Rytech, Inc.
