Scrapbook + Mould = HELP!!!!!!

[Mickey&JoshNut]

I hope someone might be able to help me out....

One of my co-workers believes that her precious scrapbooks of her two daughters childhood are ruined....

They had a small flood in their home earlier this year and the restoration company cleaned out their basement and put all the items in plastic bins in one of those portable storage pods in their driveway. They assured her everything including her precious scrapbooks would be okay...now that the basement has been completely refinished, they have been unpacking the "pod". She was devastated when she open the box containing her scrapbooks and supplies to find it completely covered in black mould....she said she doesn't care about her supplies, she can replace them but the scrapbooks appear ruined....

I told her I would post to see if anyone had any suggestions before she throws out the scrapbooks....

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

thanks in advance

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I would try to contact someone who handles photo restoration.

has she opened the albums? If she hasn't she should get a respirator mask (not just the paper ones) and latex gloves before handling them. She needs to see if the pictures themselves have damage. The biggest thing is to either get them dry or freeze them to stop the damage from progressing.

We had mold issues when our basement flooded so I know how she feels. I froze about 90% of the books that were damaged in butcher paper and ziploc bags and was able to salvage all of them. Now granted they did not have mold on them yet but it did stop the process and buy me time.

I found this online:

Deactivate

If you brush a mold spot and it smears, it's active. If it's powdery and dry it's inactive. Freezing, air drying, and exposure to UV light are all methods that will inactivate mold. But light can also cause fading, so don't leave photos in direct light for more than an hour.

Once it's inactive you need to either vacuum it up or wipe it off. Don’t vacuum indoors unless you have a HEPA filter (otherwise you will spread the spores around the room).

A soft brush or cloth is best for photos. If you use cloth rags to wipe off the mold, change them often and be sure to wash them in hot water and bleach after use.

 

[Lisa]

Creative Memories has a segment on their main web site on disasters with photos. Hopefully this will help.

http://www.creativememories.com/Mai...d-services/advice/detail?folder=RecoverPhotos
Recover Photos after a Disaster


Flood waters can bring sediment and debris in contact with treasured photographs, and the water used to put out fires often causes more damage than the fire itself. But don’t give up hope – photographs are actually very resilient.

Traditional Resin-Coated (RC) prints with a glossy or matte emulsion layer can usually be treated at home. Heritage and digital prints, however, have surfaces that are quite fragile when wet, and will require the specialized care and handling that only a professional photo conservator can provide. The variety of materials used to produce heritage and digital prints makes it difficult to recommend one sure-fire solution for home restoration.

If possible, we recommend making reprints of photographs or digital images from any negatives or files that may be available before attempting to restore damaged photos.

If you are unable to clean your photographs immediately, place them in plastic bags in a freezer until they can be cared for further. A freezer will slow fungal growth and ensure that your photographs are in a secure location.

The following steps can be taken to rescue your photographs:


With gloves on, place photos in cold water in small groups of one to five. Handle the photos by the edges only.
Soak or rinse the photos with cold water. A gentle stream of water may be sprayed on the photo to help loosen debris. Change the water frequently to keep your work environment clean. Repeat this process if necessary.
Conduct a final rinse using cold, distilled water. This will wash away any residue remaining from the cleaning process.

Air Drying:
Flattening Photos:

Lay photos flat to dry on either a paper towel or on plastic or aluminum screening material fastened to a frame. You may also hang the photos by one corner using small clothespins. Drying should be done in a shaded part of your home.
If the photos are curled after they are dry, place individual photographs between two sheets of blotting paper. Place flat, heavy books on top of the sheets for 24hours in a humid environment.

Why cold, distilled water?
The image on a photograph is held by the emulsion layer, which is destroyed by high temperatures, humidity and steam. So, when you use water to clean your damaged photos, keep the immersion time to a minimum and keep the water temperature below 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Distilled water is best for the final rinse, since it’s free of impurities and won’t add to the impurities already on your photos.

If your photographs require additional treatment after these steps, we recommend that you contact a professional photo conservator to seek further advice.

A professional can also scan, retouch and reprint the photographs. We also suggest using Photo-safe photo mounting paper for your albums to limit the damage to your albums from flood or fire.

For more in-depth information on rescuing digital and traditional prints, Creative Memories has also made available the Image Permanence Institute’s publication A Consumer Guide for the Recovery of Water-Damaged Digital and Traditional Prints. (this is a link at the CM website)

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

Thank you so much for your replies Buffy & Lisa...I will pass the information on to my co-worker. I am really hoping she is able to at least save some of the books....I would never of thought of putting scrapbooks in the freezer or "washing" my pictures....once again thanks for your suggestions.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

If she washes the pictures you must be careful not to touch the image!! It will smear.

I took a photography class in High school for 2 years and when you develop the pictures they get washed in a basin of water after the developer stage and after the fixer stage so I know the paper can handle be submerged for a little bit. But that was with todays paper, I wouldn't know what to do with vintage images.