Water damage in a home caused by leaks, floods or other disasters can be devastating. Some of the materials that can be affected are important, irreplaceable documents.
At ServiceMaster of Lincoln Park, we provide quick, on-call water damage restoration services for commercial and residential properties throughout Chicago and its suburbs. Here are some of our top tips on preventing your documents from getting damaged and how to dry wet paper to restore your materials.
What to Do If Your Documents Get Water Damaged
When you discover you have water-damaged documents, take the following steps:
- Assess the damage: Carefully inspect the damaged material to determine its extent and what has been affected.
- Take photos: Take clear photos to document the damage from different angles. The photos will serve as evidence for your insurance claim.
- Contact your insurance carrier: Call your insurance carrier immediately to report the water damage and file a claim.
How to Salvage Wet Records
Water-damaged paper recovery is an essential process to keep your documents in functional condition. Before you try restoring your documents, assess the type of damage, evaluating whether the materials are dry, damp, slightly wet or completely wet. Separate them based on how wet they are and take the following steps to salvage them:
- Air drying: If the damage to your documents is minimal, you can air dry them in a clean and dry area to remove any moisture.
- Dehumidification: For this process, humidity and temperature are controlled to certain specifications and everything is left in place. It is an ideal option for damp materials but not recommended for very water-sensitive inks or coated papers.
- Freezing: If the water damage is severe or you have many damaged documents, you can freeze them at about minus 15 to minus 20 Fahrenheit to give yourself more time to plan the drying process.
- Vacuum freeze drying: This method involves placing frozen documents under a vacuum to remove water from them.
- Gamma sterilizing: This involves document sterilization to prevent fungi and bacteria from breeding in water-damaged materials.
What Kind of Documents Should You Protect?
Some documents are very important and hard to replace, so it is best that you take precautionary measures to protect them. These include:
- Identity documents (IDs): Passports, birth and marriage certificates, driver’s licenses, credit cards, social security cards and critical contact information
- Home/ property records: Home deeds, insurance policies and paperwork and car titles
- Estate records: Powers-of-attorney, trusts and wills
- Medical records: Crucial doctors’ contact information, immunization records and health insurance documents or cards
- Financial records: Important receipts, W2s or W9s, tax records and bank statements
How to Protect Documents From Water Damage
To prevent your documents from getting damaged by water, take the following protective measures:
- Keep electronic copies of important documents.
- Be careful where you store your items.
- Put documents in waterproof containers.
- Switch to paperless options for important documents and receipts.
Contact ServiceMaster of Lincoln Park for Water Damage Restoration Services
For reliable water damage restoration services such as emergency flood clean up, water removal and residential and commercial restoration, turn to ServiceMaster of Lincoln Park. We can help you restore your home or business to its former condition and provide professional advice on how to dry papers that got wet from water damage for the best outcome. Contact us today for more information.
