Saving Wet Photos, Papers and Keepsakes After Water Damage
Act within a day or two. Gently rinse off dirty water, then lay photos and papers out flat, one layer, face up, to air-dry in a cool room with moving air. If there's too much to dry within about 48 hours, put them in the freezer. Freezing pauses mold and damage until you, or a document recovery specialist, can get to them. Don't pull apart photos that are stuck together.
Family photos and papers are often what people are most upset about losing, and they're more rescuable than most people think. The enemy is time: wet paper can start growing mold within a couple of days, and wet photos stick together as they dry.
Photographs
- Handle carefullyHold photos by the edges. Wet photo surfaces are soft and scratch or smear easily.
- Rinse if dirtyIf they were in muddy or dirty water, rinse them gently in a tub or bin of clean, cool water. Don't rub the image.
- Separate if you canIf photos come apart easily, separate them. If they're stuck together, don't force them. Freeze the stack and let a professional separate them.
- Dry face upLay them face up on paper towels, a clean screen or a towel, one layer, not touching. You can also hang them by a corner with clothespins. Keep them out of direct sun.
- Expect some curlPhotos usually curl as they dry. Once fully dry, they can be flattened under a heavy book between clean sheets of paper.
Photos in albums: take them out if they slide out easily. Many "magnetic" albums with sticky pages and plastic covers trap water and grow mold quickly. If photos are stuck to the pages, freeze the whole album.
Prints in frames: remove the backing and glass right away. Photos stuck to the glass can be damaged by pulling. If that happens, keep the photo and glass together and get advice from a photo conservator.
Documents and papers
- Lay sheets out flat to dry, in small stacks if you have a lot, with absorbent paper between them. Change the paper as it gets wet.
- Keep the air moving with fans aimed around the room, not blowing straight at the papers. Use a dehumidifier if you have one.
- Don't use heat like a hair dryer, oven or space heater. Heat warps and yellows paper and can make the ink run.
- Freeze what you can't get to. Wrap in freezer bags or wax paper and freeze until you have time to dry it, or send it to a document recovery company, which can vacuum freeze-dry large amounts.
Books
Damp books can be stood upright with the covers slightly open and pages fanned, in a room with fans and a dehumidifier. Soaked books are much harder. Stand them up to drain, interleave paper towels every 20 to 50 pages, and replace the towels often. Or freeze them. Coated, glossy pages like those in yearbooks and photo books stick together as they dry, so freeze those quickly.
Mold: when to stop
If you see fuzzy growth, or papers smell musty, wear gloves and an N95 mask and keep moldy items away from dry ones. People with asthma or allergies shouldn't handle moldy materials. Moldy items you care about should go to a professional conservator.
Replacing important documents
Many official papers can be replaced, so don't panic if they're ruined:
- Birth, marriage and death certificates: from the vital records office of the state where the event happened.
- Social Security card: from the Social Security Administration.
- Passport: from the U.S. Department of State.
- Driver's license: from your state's driver services agency.
- Tax returns: transcripts are available from the IRS.
- Insurance policies, mortgage and bank papers: from the company that issued them. Many are online already.
Replacing them is often faster than trying to save a badly damaged original, so put your effort into the things that can't be replaced: photos, letters and keepsakes.
After a fire
Photos and papers that are smoky but not burned can often be cleaned by restoration specialists. Don't try to wipe soot off photos. It smears and scratches. If papers got wet from firefighting water, follow the same steps above.
The bottom line
Rinse if dirty, dry flat and face up, never force stuck photos apart, and freeze anything you can't dry within about two days. Then decide calmly what to save and what to replace.
General information only. For valuable, historic or badly damaged items, consult a professional conservator or document recovery company.