You have left your cardboard outside and it rained, now you want to know how to replace water damaged cardboard. Cardboard has much use either from helping you place some of your things to stock it up or use it for a D.I.Y. project.
In this article, we will teach you tips on how you can replace and repair your water-damaged cardboard. So you can use it again for another purpose, and be of use again after having been damaged by water.
Cardboards have a lot of uses, from storing to being a material for do-it-yourself projects, and proved their usefulness time and time again. They can also be recycled and be another piece of decoration in your home.
Tips On How You Can Replace Your Cardboard
Here are tips for you to follow on how you can replace your water-damaged cardboard.
Tip #1. Get rid of mold
Due to the humidity the air has, mold can grow on any surface that has enough moisture on it. Since your cardboard was wet, mold can grow and thrive on it, and it is your job to remove it if you want to replace your cardboard.
Molds are dangerous to anyone’s health, so removing it can be beneficial to you too.
Tip #2. Recycle
Since your cardboard has water damage already, recycling it is one of your best solutions. How exactly can you recycle water-damaged cardboard?
Wet cardboard can be turned into compost for your plant. Since the cardboard is already wet, the composting process will be much faster.
So if you want to replace your cardboard, you can compost it for your plant.
Tip #3. Protect your cardboard from getting wet
In order for you to effectively replace your cardboard, you need to prevent it from getting wet first. Knowing how you can prevent your cardboard from getting wet effectively prolongs your cardboard life.
If you can protect your cardboard from getting wet, you won’t have to go through the trouble of replacing your cardboard.
Tip #4. Get insurance
In some cases, your cardboard box has some insurance. When you store things inside your house and your house has insurance, it could be covered by it.
The insurance covers all items stored within your home and may exclude those that are not within the reach of your property.
Ways On How To Repair Water Damaged Cardboards
Here are three easy steps on how to repair water damaged cardboards.
Step #1. Dislodge item inside the cardboard
The first thing you want to do if your cardboard is wet is to remove all items inside. Removing items inside your cardboard is essential to salvage any of those items that can still be useful.
As much as possible try to not tear up the cardboard when opening it to remove all the items inside. Once you rip it up, the cardboard cannot be repaired and you have to replace it.
Step #2. Dry your cardboard
There are two ways for you to dry your wet cardboard, first is to let it air dry. Air drying your cardboard is only efficient if you are in a humid environment or state, if where you are now is not humid you can opt for another way.
Another way to dry up your cardboard is by freezing it. Put your cardboard into a zip lock that can fit it, and store it in a temperature below -23 degrees celsius.
Step #3. Glue it all
After drying your cardboard, the next step for you is to glue your cardboard. Remember to only glue the parts where it is falling apart.
If your cardboard is still full after drying, you do not have to glue it up. Only glue those parts that are coming off.
Tips On How To Pull Apart Wet Cardboard
If you cannot replace or repair your cardboard you can pull them apart. Here are tips on how to pull apart water damaged cardboard.
Tip #1. Air dry
To pull apart your wet cardboard, you need to dry it up first. Drying your wet cardboard would make pulling apart more easy.
In order to properly pull apart cardboard, you need to dry it out completely, and the most common way to dry it up is by air drying it.
Tip #2. Freeze
Another way to dry up your cardboard is to freeze it. As stated previously, freezing your cardboard may come in handy if you are living in a not so very humid environment.
Freezing cardboard also has benefits for your cardboard. Freezing can immobilize water and may slow the process of paper getting destroyed by microorganisms in water.
Tip #3. Use a dehumidifier
Using a dehumidifier can help dry up your cardboard. A dehumidifier works on absorbing all the moisture within your wet cardboard, effectively drying it up.
The work of a dehumidifier sucks all the moisture inside the cardboard by presenting a low amount of moisture in the air.
Unlike the previous tips, dehumidification is the quickest to dry up cardboard.
Conclusion
After reading through this article, we hope that you have learned a thing or two on how to replace water damaged cardboard and how to repair them as well. If this article is helpful to you, consider checking out other articles from us.