Whether you want to restore it by yourself or know how much to save water damaged books with the assistance of a professional, this article will help you find answers.
Books are valuable belongings that don’t only contain information but also some sentimental value. They are more prone to damage when water gets to them, and sometimes, not knowing how to act in this situation might ruin them.
Buying one as a replacement is also a good idea, but it would be more costly. Other times, a book wouldn’t have an available copy, making it more troublesome.
Through this article, you’ll know how to restore it through your efforts based on the degree of the water damage.
Before continuing with the methods for saving a water damaged book below, you’ll first need to assess the damage and how many were damaged books. It’s so you can properly plan how you’ll proceed next.
How To Save A Soaking Wet Book?
Follow the steps given below to fix a thoroughly wet book; ensure that you proceed with extreme carefulness as the paper might be so weak that it’ll tear in one careless move:
Step #1. Immediately pull it away from where it was, then tightly hold it close for extracting liquid. You can also gently shake out the book to remove the excessive water.
Step #2. Using an absorbent towel, gently dab it on the book’s cover and remove as much water as possible. There’s no need to use too much force, or it might rub off the paper.
Step #3. Choose an area where you can leave your books; it can be out in the open if the weather is clear or in a room with good airflow. Place a clean white paper towel on a flat area, as this would serve as the base where you’ll place the book.
Step #4. Place your book upright on the white paper towels that were laid flat. You can use a bookend for soft-covered books to help them stand upright.
Step #5. If it is doable, you can gently pry the pages of a book, then insert clean paper towels or wax papers in between.
Step #6. Leave the book standing upright there until it is dry. After drying, try combing through the pages to see if there are no wet spots.
Step #7. If the book can’t close down due to warped pages, try weighing it down with heavy stuff.
How to save a partially damp book?
If your books only got damp and not thoroughly soaked with water, here are steps you can follow to save them:
Step #1. Choose an open area where you can leave your books safely. If the weather is clear, you can put it out in an open place like in your yard; and if not, choose a room with proper ventilation, use a fan to assist in circulating air, or a dehumidifier.
Step #2. Place an absorbent white towel in a flat area, open the book and let it stand upright. If it is a hard cover, it can be left on its own; but if it’s a softcover, use bookends to help it stand upright.
Step #3. Ensure that you comb gently through the pages to prevent them from sticking together while drying. Just allow some tiny gaps, and no need to open it fully.
Leave this for a while, ensuring that the book has dried thoroughly in and out.
Step #4. After drying, if you find the book isn’t closing fully, try placing something heavy above it and leave it be for a while.
For more information, visit this article concerning the recovery of water-damaged books.
Who Can Help?
Not all people would have extra time on their hands to personally deal with saving a water damaged book. If you are one of those that want to find a professional for assistance, you would also probably want to know how much it would cost you.
The cost might depend on many factors, like the state where you live, the degree of damage to your book, how many books were damaged, how long your books were soaked in water, and so on. With that in mind, the cost range isn’t set.
What you can do, instead, is to call on a nearby restoration business to consult your circumstances directly. Here’s an article that specifically talks about the best fire and water damage restoration companies you can consider.
Conclusion
In conclusion, how much to save water damaged books depends on a few factors. Both would need a sum, whether you’re fixing it yourself or asking for a professional’s help.
Hence, it would be best to consider which would best suit your situation. In the end, what would matter was your own decision, so choose wisely and suitably.
If you find this article helpful, here are some other similar contents that you might want to look out for, how to fix lightly water damaged textbooks and how to smooth water damaged paper.