Of the three elements - Fire, Wind and Water, it is said that water is the deadliest. Why? Because when it strikes, you can never tell how much damage it could cause. No matter how much we take care of our belongings, be it family heirlooms, antiques and other valuables, they can still fall victim to water damage. Knowing what to do in order to restore these important items can, somehow, give us some peace of mind. Books, pictures and paintings are just some of our favourite possessions. When these things get damaged by water, we should be equipped to handle it.

Books

Books are everywhere and it may seem as something that most people would not pass on to one generation to another. However, there are some families who can be avid readers and might consider books - Bibles, prayer books, poetry books - as family heirlooms. If you are one of them, it maybe high time to check what you should do if ever they encounter water damage.

1. Limit the use of fungicides. They maybe good in getting rid of those pesky molds but they may damage the material of your book. This is especially applicable if your book is made of very old paper and is already brown with age.

2. The first that you should consider is vacuum freeze-drying your book. This stabilizes your books condition and prevents the spines from arching, the inks from running and the pages from sticking to one another.

3. You can remove debris or silt by air-hosing your books.

4. If your book dates back to the 15th up to the 17th century, it would be better for you to consult a book conservationist. Books from these periods are very rare and should be treated with utmost care.

5. If your book is fairly new, you can vacuum dry it with a simple handheld vacuum. You may also try vacuum freeze-drying it

Pictures

Picture is one of the most popular forms of memorabilia. It is easy to store and captures the precise memorable moment in one's life. Water damage, however, can cause big problems to your favourite photographs.

1. Immediately remove the photo from water.

2. Never touch the wet, printed surface of a picture that shows signs of water damage. This can just add to its sorry state.

3. If you are not sure what type of film was used for the picture, it is highly recommended that you contact an expert. Some film type need more care than others.

4. If they are stuck together, never attempt to pull them apart as this would damage the prints. Put them on a tank of cold water and gently separate them. If you are still having a hard time separating them, leave them in the tank a while longer.

5. If you are in a hurry, you can remove first debris sticking to your photo under running water. Make sure that you do not let the water run directly on the photo as this could cause further damage.

6. Freeze drying photos can also buy you more time if you need to attend to other things first.

Paintings

If there is one item that needs your immediate attention and care when water damage happens, it would be paintings. Depending on the material used, paintings can flake and form tents.

1. If you are not skilled with treating water damage on paintings, it would be better for you to get in touch with a painting conservationist.

2. Reduce the probability of having mold and mildew grown on your painting by controlling humidity and increasing airflow.

3. If you can, remove wet paintings from their frame. You may air dry them but make sure that they are not subjected to direct sunlight as this could cause the color to fade.

Knowing what to do is good but one has to bear in mind that items that went through some water damage cannot always be restored to their original form.