Preserving Your Memories After Flooding

1/13/2021 (Permalink)

Water damage restoration in Feasterville, PA

Preserving Your Memories After Flooding

Water in the home can be a terribly destructive force. Not only can it cause damage to the structure of your home, but it poses a great risk to your possessions. While many items are replaceable, the restoration of heirlooms, photographs, and documents can be the longest and hardest part of the recovery process. Salvaging these begins with cleaning the items, then drying them, and sanitizing if needed. Sanitizing can be required if the water is contaminated but is usually not necessary if the water came from a clean source like a broken pipe. Cleaning is largely limited to wet cleaning — rinsing or immersing in water and cleaner — and dry cleaning for fabrics and textiles. Drying is the most important part of the process for preserving the longevity of the items, and can be done in several ways:

• Dehumidification
• Vacuum Thermal Drying
• Vacuum Freeze Drying
• Air Drying

All but the last require specialized equipment and should be done by a trained restoration specialist in Feasterville, PA.

Air Drying
Air drying is accessible for most people after discovering water in the home. It can be done indoors, with fans and good air circulation. It is important to properly support any fragile documents during this process, so they are often laid out on or packed with an absorbent fabric. It is important not to do this outdoors, as temperature fluctuations and sunlight can cause further damage. Consumer dehumidifiers can help speed this process as well. Many items can be air-dried without loss of integrity, but it is very important to ensure they are completely dry before packaging for storage.
The aftermath of unexpected water in the home can be a chaotic time, and the hardest part can be worrying about your prized possessions. With knowledge of the options for cleaning and drying, you can alleviate some of the stress of the recovery effort.