From: "Seymour, Janet I - WHS" <Janet.Seymour@wisconsinhistory.org> Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 10:52:44 -0500 Subject: Listserve: Mildew and Mold Message-ID: <488E289A5C909049B0E55F6B651B5B3501421A1404DB@MEWMAD0PC01G02.accounts.wistate.us>
Marci,
Here are two resources that you may find helpful. The first is a link to a
technical leaflet that outlines the appropriate steps to treat damaged pape
r artifacts.
The second article is pasted below, and is from the National Archives.
Northeast Document Conservation Center technical leaflet information
http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets/3Emergency_Management/08SalvageMold
yBooks.php
Emergency Salvage of Flood Damaged Family
Papers
National Archives and Records Administration
August 1993
As the national repository of the records of the Federal government, the Na
tional Archives & Records Administration
recognizes the importance of family records. During the mid-west floods of
1993, the staff of the National Archives
developed some technical tips to guide individuals in emergency stabilizati
on and salvage of damaged documents,
photographs, books, and other personal papers. It is important to note that
flood damage to some items may be irreversible.
The treatment of objects of high monetary, historic, or sentimental value s
hould only be performed in consultation with a
conservator.
MOLD
Many people are sensitive to mold. Also, some mold species are toxic. If an
y health effects are observed when treating
mold consult a doctor or mycologist (the local extension service may be abl
e to help) before proceeding.
The best way to prevent or stop an outbreak of mold is to remove items from
environmental conditions that encourage
mold growth: high temperature, high relative humidity, stagnant air, and da
rkness. The first priority is to dry moldy items
(see instructions for drying below). If wet and moldy materials cannot be d
ried immediately they may be stabilized by
freezing. Placing damaged items in a personal or commercial freezer will no
t kill mold. It will, however, put the mold in a
dormant state until time and an appropriate treatment environment are avail
able. Manageable quantities of frozen items
may then be defrosted and treated at leisure.
Active mold looks fuzzy or slimy. Dormant mold is dry and powdery. Do not a
ttempt to remove active mold; it may only
spread or smear. Mold which remains active after freezing or after the host
material appears dry may be treated with brief
(1-2 hours) exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Extreme caution
must be exercised when treating materials
outdoors: too much radiation will accelerate deterioration and may cause fa
ding; wind may cause physical damage if items
are blown about; and high relative humidity or condensation caused by quick
temperature changes may actually exacerbate
mold growth.
Dormant mold spores will reactivate as soon as conditions are favorable. Th
ey should, therefore, be removed from items
and may be brushed or vacuumed away. This treatment should be performed out
doors where other materials and spaces
will not be "infected." When brushing mold use a soft, clean, light-colored
brush and a gentle pushing motion. Change
soiled brushes often to prevent spreading mold from one object to another.
When vacuuming, screening material placed
over the nozzle of a low suction vacuum will capture loose bits of the item
which may inadvertently dislodge.
CLEANING AND DRYING
Paper is very fragile when it is wet. Handle it carefully. In some cases it
may be desirable to remove caked on mud and
dirt. Dirt left by receding flood waters may be contaminated. Precautions s
uch as the use of rubber gloves should be taken.
If items are still wet, agitating them in a bath of clear water will remove
excess dirt. This treatment should never be
attempted for images which are blurred, feathered, or faded as a result of
flood damage.
AIR DRYING
Wet books, documents, or photographs which cannot be air dried within two d
ays should be frozen to inhibit mold growth.
Circulating air will effectively dry most items. Physical distortions may r
esult, but document information will be saved. To
provide optimal air drying conditions, fans should be positioned for maximu
m air circulation (do not aim air flow directly
at drying materials). Blotting material for air drying should be clean and
absorbent. Options include: blotter paper,
unprinted newsprint paper, paper towels, rags, mattress pads, etc. Screenin
g material (such as window screens) well
supported and stacked with space between them provide an excellent compact
drying surface. The porous surface assists
air circulation and promotes drying.
Without intervention glossy materials such as paperback book covers, magazi
nes, art books, etc. are likely to stick
together. If they are highly valued, these items should be the first priori
ty for salvage. Loose glossy materials should be
spread out in one layer for air drying. Bound glossy materials must be inte
rleaved between every page to prevent sticking.
Wax paper should be used as interleaving material. Volumes of glossy paper
dried in this way may suffer considerable
physical distortion.
Books
Place interleaving material between the text block and the front and back c
overs. If time and supplies allow interleaving
material should be placed intermittently throughout the text as well. Fan v
olumes open and stand them on edge with the
interleaving paper extending beyond the edges of the book. Evaporation of w
ater as it wicks into the interleaving paper
will enhance drying. Replace interleaving paper as it becomes soaked and in
vert the volume each time to insure even
drying.
Documents
Air dry flat in small piles (1/2 inch) or individually if possible. Change
blotting material beneath the materials as it
becomes soaked.
Photographs, Negatives, Motion Picture Film
Several classes of photographs are highly susceptible to water damage and t
he recovery rate will be very low. Avoid
touching the surface of photographic prints and negatives. If an old photog
raphic process cannot be identified, observe the
item carefully and contact a conservator for advice. Never freeze old photo
graphs or negatives.
Most prints, negatives, and slides may successfully be individually air dri
ed face up. Change blotting material beneath the
photographs as it becomes soaked. Contemporary photographic prints and nega
tives which are still wet and have stuck
together may separate after soaking in cold water. However, this type of tr
eatment could cause irreversible damage. Highly
valued items, especially prints for which there is no longer a negative, sh
ould be referred to a conservator immediately.
Framed Items
Remove the backing material from the frame. If the item is not stuck to the
glass, carefully remove it from the frame and
air dry. If the object appears to be stuck to the glass, do not attempt to
remove it from the frame. Dry intact with the glass
side down.
Occasionally object damage is irreversible. The treatment of items of high
monetary, historic, or sentimental value should
only be performed in consultation with a conservator. Decisions about the t
reatment of materials belonging to an
institution should only be made by appropriate personnel. The American Inst
itute for Conservation (202-452-9545)
maintains a referral list of conservators who will be able to provide guida
nce for treating private collections.
This publication was produced as a public service. It may be reproduced and
distributed freely in part or in its entirety.
When duplicating individual articles please copy them exactly as they appea
r so that proper credit will be given to the
originating institution.
The editors of this publication will be collaborating on additional project
s. If there are issues which you would like to see
addressed in the future please send your ideas to:
preserve@nara.gov or write to:
Preservation Programs
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Janet Seymour
Field Services Representative - Northern Region
Wisconsin Historical Society
Voice: 715-836-2250
Collecting, Preserving, and Sharing Stories Since 1846
Review past messages at: http://listserve.uwec.edu/localhistory/