3 Ways to Help Recover Flood-Damaged Books
For both homeowners and booklovers, a major flood can be one of the most troubling and catastrophic events. It’s no secret: Water can cause virtually irreversible damage to books and documents if left unaddressed. It’s rare that homeowners have the equipment to handle the issue alone, and the timely manner in which wet books have to be treated is critical to the success of the recovery.
Contact a Document & Book Drying Service
Book drying is a difficult and tedious task that’s best left to professionals. Unfortunately, most situations require careful and diligent action with the knowledge that only a professional service would have.[maxbutton id=”1″]
Depending on the amount of time the book has been exposed to water, the amount of water and where the water came from, different approaches and techniques may be required. No one is more equipped to deal with such a situation other than a professional document drying service.
According to the EPA, mold can show up on any moist surface. This includes wet books—yet another reason why it’s so important to contact the appropriate services.
Minimize Physical Contact With the Books
Wet books need to be handled very carefully. Whether it’s the damage to the physical paper, the binding or the ink inside, there are certain methods and techniques that we use to successfully recover a book.
While the most ideal situation when dealing with soaked books is to leave them the way in which they were found, it’s not always a practical one. Homeowners that must move books that have been soaked in a flood before professional services can help should minimize physical contact and handling of the books needing to be dried. This will make the restoration company’s job easier, and it will improve the chances of a successful book drying and restoration.
Stack Books Spine Down in Boxes
If the option exists to leave the water-damaged books as they are for recovery services to take care of them, take it. There are times, however, when the books and documents may have to be moved or stored somewhere. If this is the case, placing the books spine down in a box will make sure the water doesn’t saturate the pages as much. The Northeast Document Conservation Center also recommends wrapping the books in freezer or wax paper when placed in boxes.
If you have any books suffering from water damage, waste not time and call Allied Restoration Company. We provide some of the most effective book drying techniques to clients all across Seattle in order to restore your collection back to the way it was. Call us today at 425-458-5756.