Got waterlogged papers, books? Follow these tips to dry them out

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September 5, 2005

Got waterlogged papers, books? Follow these tips to dry them out

Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20050905/FEAT05/509050312/1023

The Northeast Document Conservation Center and the American

Institute for Conservation offers these tips for minimizing damage

to waterlogged paper:

Secure a clean, dry environment where the temperature and humidity

are as low as possible. The temperature must be below 70 degrees and

the humidity below 50 percent or mold probably will develop and

distortion will be extreme.

Freeze wet books, documents, or photographs that cannot be air-dried

within two days to inhibit mold growth.

Keep the air moving at all times using fans in the drying area. This

will accelerate the drying process and discourage the growth of

mold. If materials are dried outside, remember that prolonged

exposure to direct sunlight may fade inks and accelerate the aging

of paper. Train fans into the air and away from the drying records.

Lay single leaves out on tables, floors and other flat surfaces,

protected if necessary by paper towels or clean, unprinted

newsprint. Clotheslines may be strung close together and records

laid across them for drying.

Use clean and absorbent blotting material for air drying. Options

include blotter paper, unprinted newsprint paper, paper towels,

rags, mattress pads, etc. Screening material (such as window

screens) well supported and stacked with space between them provide

an excellent compact drying surface.

Separate records from one another if they are printed on coated

paper to prevent them from sticking. Place a piece of polyester film

on the stack of records. Rub it gently down on the top sheet. Then

slowly lift the film while peeling off the top sheet.

Hang the polyester film up to dry on a clothesline using

clothespins. As a document dries, it will separate from the surface

of the film, so it must be monitored carefully. Before it falls,

remove it, and allow it to finish drying on a flat surface.

Store records in clean folders and boxes once they are dry or they

may be photocopied or reformatted in other ways. Dried records

always will occupy more space than ones that have never been water

damaged.

Place absorbent material between the text block and the front and

back covers for books. If time and supplies allow, the blotting

material should be placed intermittently throughout the text as

well. Fan volumes open, and stand them on edge with the blotting

paper extending beyond the edges of the book. Replace this paper as

it becomes soaked and invert the volume each time to ensure even

drying.