When water damage hits it is never a great situation. Some possessions get destroyed. Paper is always damaged by water and paperbacks are no exception. Many folks have books so with all of the floods these recent several years, the topic of how to deal with water damaged books is quite relevant. Most of the time wet books can be dried and at the very least partly restored but the mold that grows on them may leave them forever damaged.
There are individual methods in which the books can be cleaned and dried and the toxic mold removed. It is essential to be aware of which method is most fitting to your specific situation. Unfortunately Moldy and water damaged books can never be repaired to the condition they were in previously so you already have one strike against you.
Thinking of this, before you determine what method you would like to restore your books, you should think about various factors. How expensive or rare are your books? Could they be easily repurchased from a used book store? How much of your bank account is accessible to used to restore the books? What sorts of materials are utilized in the producing of the books like leather, treated paper, and soluble inks? Once you have deliberated these questions you can continue to act and start the remediation procedure.
If most of your books can be easily repurchased at a used store, collect the titles and discard the water soaked books. The period of time and money it would take to revamp those books would not be easily spent. As an alternative to panicking over soaked books you can take pleasure in perusing the local used book store. You will certainly come out ahead in the end.
If you have really rare and precious books you should seek out the advice of a conservator that specializes in book restoration. They will direct you to the proper drying method that matches the materials and covers of the books you need repaired. One should charter an expert disaster restoration company to do the drying and clean-up of your these items. They should be certified and insured with great references and cases of the prior jobs they have done.
If the wet books and items you want to dry have photos in them (photo Albums, photo boxes, etc) they should be air dried. This does the least damage to the specialized photo paper. Books like art books that have treated paper are most easily dried by the vacuum freeze-drying method. This prevents the pages from adhering to each other and getting ruined. This method usually takes up to ten weeks to take do it's job and is a bit pricey. A reason for that is that a professional company has to handle this restoration because the items needed to do the job is beyond the reach of most consumers. Another advantage of the vacuum freeze-drying process is that it also draws out grime and dirt particles from the paper making it last longer.
Leather bound books would get the best results using the drying process. Drying leaves the least amount of damage on the covers. Another positive side to using the the drying/de-humidification process is that the process is quick and the books can remain with you should you need to consult them during this process.
Mold, water, heat all have the ability to destroy your items so make sure you keep an eye out for the damage and react as soon as you observe its occurrence.
No one wants mold in their house, office, or school. At the very least, mold is smelly and unsightly. Although not all molds are hazardous to human health, it is usually better to remove any mold growth than to leave it to grow and spread. Mold comes in many different colors: black, brown, red, blue, orange, pink, white, and green. Mold gives off a musty or earthy smell.
Generally mold grows best in humid or wet conditions from many different sources including, but not limited to, a humid environment, flooding, plumbing leaks, sewer backup, leaky windows or doors, washing machine overflow, damp basements, faulty heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) system, and wet carpets. If mold is visible on a surface, a larger contamination may be hidden from view; for example, behind walls or drywall, under carpets, or above ceiling tiles.
Since some molds, especially toxic mold or toxigenic mold, cause illness in some people, the permanent elimination--also called decontamination, remediation, and abatement--of toxic mold is essential since the mold may grow back. Thus it is extremely important that any and all products which have been contaminated by the toxic mold be removed and disposed of.
In most circumstances mold can be simply removed from hard surfaces by a thorough cleaning with commercial products (recommended), soap and water, or a weak bleach solution (do not however mix bleach with ammonia since this mixture produces very dangerous fumes).
Unfortunately, absorbent or porous materials like ceiling tiles, drywall, and carpet may have to be thrown away if they become moldy because the mold cannot be removed from materials. Alternatively, a professional who has experience in cleaning mold in buildings and homes can be hired. Be sure to check for licensing, certification, and/or experience and training before hiring a mold professional. It is important to properly clean and dry the mold-infected area as an allergic reaction can occur from parts of the dead mold.
And remember that mold contamination may reoccur if there is still a source of moisture; therefore, do not keep humidity levels high in a home/office/etc., repair sources of water damage, and exhaust bathrooms and kitchens.
Toxic Mold and Pesticides
The public should be warned, though, that manufacturers of all pesticide products--products that claim to control fungus and toxic molds--are required to register their product with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is because any product that claims to prevent, destroy, or repel pests, including molds and fungus are considered pesticides and must be registered with the EPA under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.
A manufacturer must first prove that their product is safe and effective for consumer use before being able to claim on their label that the product protects people from any disease-causing microorganism. The public can easily determine whether a product has been registered with the EPA since manufacturers are required to list the EPA registration number on the product label. The public should be wary of any product claiming to control fungus and toxic molds that do not bear an EPA registration number since the product may not be safe or effective to use.
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