Document restoration

8/10/2016 (Permalink)

This warehouse in Mocksville NC was flooded by a broken water supply line. All documents were restored and preserved.

Whether it affects your home or business, Water damage can leave a soggy mess behind. Paper files, documents, books, photographs and artworks on paper can be ruined if quick, proper action is not taken. SERVPRO of Davie and Yadkin Counties can respond within hours of your call to begin the process of saving and restoring all of your irreplaceable papers.

We have five processes that we can use to restore water-damaged paper materials:

• Air Drying - This is simply laying the items out to dry in the air, often with the addition of a fan to keep the air circulating. This can be effective if you only have a few items, but it is too slow and takes too much space to be the top choice for most jobs.

• Dehumidification - Dehumidification is the process of placing the water damaged wet items in a container and lowering the humidity of the air in the container. The dry air pulls the water out of the documents. Sometimes this is done in association with freezing; freezing wet items stops the growth of any mold or mildew until the drying can take place.

• Freezer Drying - this process of freezing wet documents is effective, but it may leave the papers distorted and cupped.

• Vacuum Freeze Drying - This is freeze drying in a vacuum chamber. The vacuum allows the frozen water to be pulled from the papers as vapor. This method often results in the least possible distortion of paper, but it may not be the best for photographs or leather bound books.

• Vacuum Thermal Drying - This is similar to vacuum freeze-drying, except it takes place at temperatures above 32 degrees. The papers will be wet during the drying process, and they may lose flexibility.

While no restoration process can promise to return your documents and papers to their original condition, knowing which method is best for books, photographs, watercolor paintings and printed documents will go a long way toward preserving the usefulness of the items. Water damage, as you can see, takes on many forms.
When you discover that papers, books and photographs have been affected by Water Damage, remember these tips to avoid causing further harm:

• Glossy paper should be your first priority. It is especially likely to stick together, and the sheets or pages should be separated if possible while you wait for professional advice.
• Avoid touching the surface of wet photographs.
• Do not wipe mud or sludge off of wet paper as this could smear the print. After the documents have been dried, the material can be easily brushed off.

Seeing your business records or family photographs soggy and grimy after a flood event can be devastating, but you may be surprised by what can be saved with quick intervention. Our certified IICRC technicians' equipment, experience, and training can restore your water-logged possessions. Give SERVPRO of Davie and Yadkin Counties a call at 336 677 1415; our fast response and expert methods will maximize the chances that your records, books, and photos will be preserved.

Whether you are in Bermuda Run, Advance, Mocksville, Yadkinville, East Bend, Jonesville, Wilkesboro or North Wilkesboro, SERVPRO of Davie and Yadkin Counties can ensure your documents and business are restored to a pre-loss condition.  Our faster response time and equipment inventory will ensure that your business interruption is kept to a minimum.  Call us today for any Fire Damage, Water Damage or Mold Damage issues.