How To Save Wet Documents After a Flood

6/21/2022 (Permalink)

Salvaging wet documents is possible when following a thorough process.

How To Salvage Wet Documents

When your business suffers from water damage, the building must undergo a cleaning and restoration project, as well as any valuable items that appear ruined. Salvaging wet documents is possible when following a thorough process. Here is what you need to know if you need to save flooded documents within your Arp, TX, commercial space.

1. Get Wet Documents to a Freezer
The first key step to saving your paper items is getting them in a freezer as quickly as possible. Taking swift action here prevents the document from deteriorating as well as producing mold or bacteria if it remained wet. After you've got your items in a freezer, contact a local water damage restoration expert who will then transport the documents to a state-of-the-art facility that specializes in document drying. Their specially designed vacuum-freezer will suck any remaining moisture out of the paper for advanced restoration.

2. Gamma Irradiation Cleaning
If your documents came in contact with wastewater or outdoor flooding, they will be inundated with harmful bacteria, pesticides and other dangerous properties. Experts will employ what's known as gamma irradiation to kill off any biohazards and sterilize the paper once it has been freeze-dried. This step is critical for eliminating any health risks associated with water damage.

3. Produce Digital Copies of Documents
Once your items have undergone drying and sterilization, restoration professionals will then produce digital copies. This offers peace of mind to business owners who can now easily access their documents digitally and don't have to worry about their hard copies becoming damaged in the event of another flood disaster.
If your commercial space experiences a water issue that has compromised valuable papers, it's paramount to immediately place the wet documents in a freezer. From there, let professionals step in with specialized vacuum-freeze drying, gamma irradiation cleaning and digitizing of the documents.