When our homes are water damaged due to floods and hurricanes, one of the things that we do not tend to think about until after we come upon them while attempting to restore the house is our documents. Any important documents that we might have in our homes at the time of the storm can be damaged almost irreparably, but there are ways to salvage these documents and store them later for better protection against not only floods, but fires, as well. Knowing how to deal with these documents after they have already become damaged is essential if you want to save them, especially if they are the only copies in existence.
There is no real reason to panic unless you have been away from the water damaged building for more than a couple of days. Most of the time it takes at least 48 hours for mold to start to grow on cellulose-based items like paper and cardboard, so getting to these soaked documents as soon as possible before those 48 hours are up is important. The environment in the building should be around 65 degrees Fahrenheit if you can manage it and the humidity needs to remain as low as possible. Mold loves humidity.
If you have any standing water still in the home, it needs to be removed as soon as possible. Documents lying in standing water need to be taken out of it and put on a flat surface quickly. Remove them carefully, since they can fall apart, depending on the weight of the paper and how long it has set in the water.
Figure out what documents are the most important to you. These should include marriage and birth certificates, death certificates, divorce papers, bank papers, warranties on large appliances, and any other legal documents you may have in your home. If you are a writer, a printed manuscript of a book you are working on is one thing that could be considered invaluable, especially if you do not have it stored on electronic media or if the media you did have it stored on was damaged during the storm. Take other printed materials like this into consideration depending on your own unique circumstances. If these items are not completely soaked in water, then you can possibly just dry them out using a fan or simply laying them out to dry. If they have been under the water for a long period of time, then freezing them and drying them at a local facility is best.
Using freezer wrap to separate watery books and documents from each other when you are packing them to take to the freeze drying company is best. Do not pack things tightly and label every box with your contact information.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Flood Damaged Documents
There are hundreds of different kinds of important documents and books that we could have in our homes that might become damaged during a flood or a hurricane and if the copies that we have are the only ones in existence, then safeguarding these items is very important. Whether it is a marriage certificate or a birth certificate, proof of insurance, or any other type of legal document, if it gets ruined due to being submerged in water, you might be in some trouble.
If you are already the victim of a flood or a hurricane and you have to take care of these documents that have already become damaged, then you might not exactly know how to deal with these items. After you have made sure that the electricity is off in your home after the waters have mostly receded is essential. You should do this before re-entering parts of your home that still have standing water in them. Find the documents you need to restore and if they are only damp, then it is possible to just lay them out to dry on a flat surface on their own. If they have been submerged for a while, then the best thing that you can do is take them to a local freeze-dry facility to have them treated.
When packing items to take to a freeze-dry facility, you should purchase freezer wrap from a local department or grocery store. You will use this to separate your papers and books from each other in the boxes you will pack them into. Find the most important documents that you wish to restore and afterward, find the less important ones such as books or anything that is considered “one-of-a-kind”. Pack these items into boxes and label the outside with your name, address, phone number, and any other pertinent information. Do not pack these tightly in the freezer paper.
After your documents have been taken care of and dried efficiently, the best thing to do is to invest in a waterproof and fireproof safe to pack these things in. Cash, jewelry, these documents, and anything else that you wish to have protected against the elements of nature will be very safe in one of these. Once you invest in one and see it work during a fire or a flood, you will be very happy that you made the investment. It will save you both time, effort, and money to invest in an appropriately sized safe.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
If you are already the victim of a flood or a hurricane and you have to take care of these documents that have already become damaged, then you might not exactly know how to deal with these items. After you have made sure that the electricity is off in your home after the waters have mostly receded is essential. You should do this before re-entering parts of your home that still have standing water in them. Find the documents you need to restore and if they are only damp, then it is possible to just lay them out to dry on a flat surface on their own. If they have been submerged for a while, then the best thing that you can do is take them to a local freeze-dry facility to have them treated.
When packing items to take to a freeze-dry facility, you should purchase freezer wrap from a local department or grocery store. You will use this to separate your papers and books from each other in the boxes you will pack them into. Find the most important documents that you wish to restore and afterward, find the less important ones such as books or anything that is considered “one-of-a-kind”. Pack these items into boxes and label the outside with your name, address, phone number, and any other pertinent information. Do not pack these tightly in the freezer paper.
After your documents have been taken care of and dried efficiently, the best thing to do is to invest in a waterproof and fireproof safe to pack these things in. Cash, jewelry, these documents, and anything else that you wish to have protected against the elements of nature will be very safe in one of these. Once you invest in one and see it work during a fire or a flood, you will be very happy that you made the investment. It will save you both time, effort, and money to invest in an appropriately sized safe.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Different Types of Dehumidifiers
You might have used a humidifier in your room or your child’s room during sickness at one time, but what exactly does a dehumidifier do and in what circumstances do you need to have one in your home?
Dehumidifiers are often used in damp areas of the home to keep the humidity down; this reduces the chances that mold will begin to grow in that area of the house.
There are a few different kinds of dehumidifiers and if you are intending on purchasing one, them you might want to familiarize yourself with each kind and purchase one depending on your own situation. These types include chemical absorbent dehumidifiers, dehumidifying ventilators, and heat pump dehumidifiers.
A heat pump dehumidifier extracts water from the air utilizing a heat pump. This is somewhat similar to the pump that you find in an air conditioner. The fan inside the dehumidifier brings the air inside the unit and a coil inside it is kept very cold so that the moisture in the air being drawn across it condenses. This water drops into a bucket that fits into the bottom of it. A second coil that is heated brings the cold air back up to room temperature and pushed back out into the home. This is the most efficient type of dehumidifier for use in private residences.
The type that works the best in warm climates is the chemical absorbent type. This kind of dehumidifier uses a desiccant (a drying chemical) to absorb the water from the air that is pulled inside the humidifier by a fan. It is also expensive to operate and so this kind of dehumidifier is much more efficient for large business buildings and industry complexes. Homeowners should not purchase one of these.
A dehumidifying ventilator has what is called a sensor controller and what most other humidifiers have, an exhaust fan. What the sensor controller does is turn the unit on when the humidity in the home or office building reaches a certain level. These are not very efficient in homes that are located in humid environments because they bring air from outside the house to the inside. These are most often used in basements and cellars. Unfortunately, these can also depressurize whatever room they are located in and this can cause the spilling of gas. Any gas furnaces near by should be properly vented.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Dehumidifiers are often used in damp areas of the home to keep the humidity down; this reduces the chances that mold will begin to grow in that area of the house.
There are a few different kinds of dehumidifiers and if you are intending on purchasing one, them you might want to familiarize yourself with each kind and purchase one depending on your own situation. These types include chemical absorbent dehumidifiers, dehumidifying ventilators, and heat pump dehumidifiers.
A heat pump dehumidifier extracts water from the air utilizing a heat pump. This is somewhat similar to the pump that you find in an air conditioner. The fan inside the dehumidifier brings the air inside the unit and a coil inside it is kept very cold so that the moisture in the air being drawn across it condenses. This water drops into a bucket that fits into the bottom of it. A second coil that is heated brings the cold air back up to room temperature and pushed back out into the home. This is the most efficient type of dehumidifier for use in private residences.
The type that works the best in warm climates is the chemical absorbent type. This kind of dehumidifier uses a desiccant (a drying chemical) to absorb the water from the air that is pulled inside the humidifier by a fan. It is also expensive to operate and so this kind of dehumidifier is much more efficient for large business buildings and industry complexes. Homeowners should not purchase one of these.
A dehumidifying ventilator has what is called a sensor controller and what most other humidifiers have, an exhaust fan. What the sensor controller does is turn the unit on when the humidity in the home or office building reaches a certain level. These are not very efficient in homes that are located in humid environments because they bring air from outside the house to the inside. These are most often used in basements and cellars. Unfortunately, these can also depressurize whatever room they are located in and this can cause the spilling of gas. Any gas furnaces near by should be properly vented.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
