Can Wet Documents Be Dried?

10/13/2021 (Permalink)

Many wet documents can be dried with specialized methods to avoid additional damage.

WE CAN DRY YOUR WET DOCUMENTS!

Many wet documents can be dried with specialized methods, such as vacuum freeze-drying, that restore the prior condition of these materials. Depending on the rarity of documents, books, manuscripts or photographs, you may want to clean and disinfect original items. In other cases, records may be salvaged in the form of paper copies or digitized versions.

SERVPRO uses sublimation-turning a solid directly into a vapor, skipping the liquid stage to avoid causing more damage to the documents.

Mitigate Document Damage
Documents with less damage tend to be better candidates for restoration. Taking the following mitigation measures may improve the outcome of document drying:

• Contain the spread of water
• Move documents to dry location
• Maintain a temperature below 65 degrees
• Fahrenheit
• Keep humidity levels lower than 40%

All of these measures may reduce the damage documents sustain due to water.  Maintaining a low temperature and moisture level discourages mold growth on paper.

Standard drying time is 30-60 days. However, the time of completion will depend on the quantity of the job, services being completed, and how much damage is sustained. The time frame can vary, though, based on moisture content.  SERVPRO's goal is to make the process as simple as possible for our customers.

Restoration companies also offer advanced disinfection services, such as gamma irradiation for killing microorganisms including fungi, bacteria and viruses on documents damaged by flooding.

Have you recently suffered water damage in your home or business?  Were tax records or business files affected?  Call your local SERVPRO of Clarion Jefferson and Forest Counties (814 849-5653) today to get them well on their way to recovery.