Document drying should be done at the earliest to save your documents or books from mold growth and getting them restored at the earliest. Flood damage may have rendered severe damage to some of your documents, yet you can still save them with the help of different document drying techniques. When you decide to proceed with your plans of document drying, you need to keep in mind certain important guidelines about what should be done and what should be avoided to get best results. However, if your valuable documents have become extensively damaged or you are unsure about which method to choose for drying your documents, then it's best to seek professional help.

Exercise caution when handling wet documents as they are extremely fragile. An important thing to be kept in mind when proceeding towards the process of document drying is to safely remove all wet items including documents and papers away from the damp area at the earliest as mold growth can begin if your documents remain in water for more than 48 hours. Mold finds a convenient place to grow in areas which are moist, damp, dark or humid. For extracting excessive moisture from the wet documents, try placing a blotting paper or paper towel underneath them. Then, you can begin with air drying your documents using fans. An effective method of air drying your damp documents is to flatten the papers by placing between two sheets of absorbent paper. Apply even pressure with weights until the documents become dry. The place where the documents are kept for drying must have adequate cross ventilation to help expedite the document drying process.

If for any reason you are unable to clean and dry the documents, then it is best to freeze each book or paper in a sealed plastic bag to stop or check an outbreak of mold and mildew. Do not forget to place a wax paper between layers of papers or between pages of books to prevent them from sticking to one another.

It is advisable to wear protective clothing and face mask to protect yourself from potential dangers of coming in contact with mold or mildew when working towards document drying process.

If books and papers are very damp, you can consider sprinkling cornstarch or talcum powder for quick moisture absorption. Let it remain for several hours and then brush it off gently. Another important tip for document drying is to wipe book covers with a solution of one part denatured alcohol and one part water.

Do not press water out of wet or damp documents and papers. Do not blot surfaces of documents that have water-soluble ink. Use C-clamps to help books retain their original shape once they are dry.

Document drying is a daunting task but it is the only available alternative to get your important documents restored using various document drying techniques. These important guidelines can help you in making the task of drying your wet documents a bit easy while ensuring their safety.