05/31/2019
I’m a former archivist, who focused on restoring water and heat damaged negatives and photographs!
Here are some tips to save your photos:
As soon as possible, locate and very carefully remove photos from the house, placing them in tubs of clean distilled water. Enlist help!
Lift loose photos and albums from dirty water, avoiding touching the face of the photos if at all possible. Remove photos from water-logged albums and separate any that are stacked together, staying careful not to rub or touch the wet emulsion of the photo surface.
Gently dunk each photo in a bucket or sink of clear, cold water. Don't rub the photos, and change the water frequently.
If you have time and space right away, lay each wet photo face-up on clean paper towels. Don't use newspapers or printed paper towels, as the ink may transfer to your wet photos.
Change the towels as they become saturated until the photos dry. Try to dry the photos inside if possible, as sun and wind will cause photos to curl and crack.
Photos may also be hung on a line with small clothespins. The photo may be damaged at the contact location of the pin, so try to attach it in a corner.
Once photos are dried, important, historic and heirloom photos should be scanned and digitally restored, as the integrity of the original is likely compromised.
Please reach out if you need help with photo preservation!
