Ways to Handle Water Damaged Documents

All of us can agree that storing your old financial records and documents in basements or attics is a risky proposition. We know that for economic and additional space management purposes some area residents and companies hope for the best and do just that.

Well unfortunately and sadly for many businesses their luck might run out with hurricanes and other winter weather conditions which bring in floods.

What Should You Do with Wet Boxes?

The challenge here is figuring out if and how wet paper documents can be disposed of properly or restored. Record retention schedules indicate which records must be kept for legal purposes and what additional documents must be kept for business continuity purposes.

As wet records can’t be salvaged and must be destroyed, be certain to make a full inventory of the records in conjunction with documentation that notes the condition of the records, date of destruction, as well as the name of the business destroying the records.

Moldy Records

Mold actually poses a health risk to a business’ customers and employees, as well as the document destruction organization’s team handling the records. We recommend that mold-laden wet records be dealt with extreme care. Don’t panic yet be certain to stabilize and secure the room(s) that contain the wet records, whether you are keeping them or not.

As the source of any water subsides to safe levels, decrease humidity and boost air circulation to lower the spread of mold. The worst action to take is doing nothing. There are several possible issues leaving soaked paperwork around to dry by itself. As far as restoration is concerned, the most efficient method of restoring water damaged paperwork is through ‘true’ freeze-drying with a method referred to as sublimation.

Sublimation alters the frozen water inside the paperwork to a vapor, which bypasses the liquid state. This technique also decreases the odors and stains the documents might’ve obtained. This may be an expensive way to recover your documents, yet for non-replaceable things, it’s typically worth the cost and the most efficient option.

For more information on how we can help with document cleaning, drying, and restoration contact SCI Supply today!

 

https://waterdamageequipment.com