paper question

[Jeniferdwn]

good morning everyone. I have an odd question. When SC flooded the first of October, I had 8 inches of water in part of my house. Most of my paper got soaked!! Most of it dried and is not perfectly straight and smooth, but it is great for use with my cricut or for paper piecing and matting. BUT, the problem is it has a slight musty, funny smell to it. Any ideas how to get the smell out? Do you think it will hurt my pages in any way since it has been wet? thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Earstou]

Personally, I would toss it all. If it smells, there is mildew there and you don't want mildew in with your good paper.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

I would toss it all too.. Even if it dried out.. the musty smell would not work for me.. So sorry you had to deal with that...

If you want to try to salvage... try putting the papers in a ziploc bag w/ some dial soap (bar soap) for a week and see if that takes the smell out so you could utilize it on paper piecings.

 

[cutie_dinokun]

Maybe you can use those dryer sheets and put them all in a plastic bag? However I'm not sure will those chemical harm your paper/photos afterwards....

I would personally toss them too if the smell is too strong or if the paper is too crumbled..

 

[Jeniferdwn]

It isn't a strong smell, just a slight smell, and it could be where it has sat out in the sun for 2 weeks to dry. It isn't too crumbled up to use with my cricut. I can't use it for a back ground, but it is fine for cut outs and mats. Maybe I can put it in a bag with some newspaper and see if the sun will help the print absorb the odors.

 

[The Grays]

The smell is just part of the problem. You asked could it harm you pages. Yes it can. The pulp of the paper soaked up all the bad junk that was in the water. Can it be saved? Yes but it is not economical to do so. You may get the smell out but you may have the potential to grow mold down the road. It is not worth the risk to use it for anything good.