Document Drying

2/18/2020 (Permalink)

When you walk into a flooded room, your first concern may not be damp paper, but once you’ve cleared the room, you may find that to be one of the tricker problems you face. After all, a towel can dry your filing cabinet, but what do you do with all the files inside?

First Steps

The most important step to take is to freeze your documents immediately. Freezing halts the destruction of the paper—it won’t undo damage, but it prevents any further deterioration by the physical effects of water or the growth of bacteria and mold. This will work whether you have cabinets full of client files or just family photos that you’re trying to preserve.

At this stage, it is important to pack the documents as carefully as possible. If you throw them in the freezer while folded or rolled, they will remain in that shape even after drying and cleaning. Make sure that they’re flat enough to put in a file folder once you get them back.

When you call SERVPRO of Santa Maria and ask for help, we’ll transport the paper in its frozen state to our document restoration center. 

Safely Drying Documents

SERVPRO uses sublimation to dry water damaged documents. This is the physical process that happens when the water in an object goes from solid straight to gas without becoming liquid in between. This prevents paper from being re-damaged once it thaws.

This is the only method for document drying that is approved by both the National Archives and Records Administration and the General Services Administration

SERVPRO Document Restoration Services

SERVPRO of Santa Maria can provide you with document restoration services beyond just drying. We can decontaminate papers that are exposed to hazardous conditions, such as a sewage spill. We can digitize documents if your office decides that you want a backup in case anything happens again. If you decide that you don’t need the documents back, we can securely destroy them and provide you with a certificate of destruction.

Most importantly, we and all members of the document restoration team are HIPPA Master Certified, which means that patient records and private information are in a secure chain of custody while they are being restored.

At SERVPRO of Santa Maria, we want to make it “Like it never even happened,” after an emergency. From the floors to files, we’re here to help.