This photo was severely damaged in a flood and then later recovered with digital photo restoration
With the recent flooding in Northeast Ohio and possibly more high water on the way, I decided to put together several tips to save water-damaged, heirloom photos.
When floods and fires hit, most people don’t grieve losing a stove or couch. It’s the loss of valued family photos, scrapbooks and memorabilia that makes them cry. Living in North Ridgeville and seeing how hard the residents were hit was a real “eye-opener.” It motivated me to do some research and put together a guide to help flood victims save their photos.
When facing piles of soggy, mud-spattered photos and other valuables – saving them may be possible by using some of following tips.
- Carefully lift the photos from the mud or dirty water. Remove photos from soaked albums and separate any that are stuck together. Be careful not to rub or touch the wet photo surface.
- Gently rinse both sides of the photo in a sink filled with clear, cold water. Again, don’t wipe the photos and be sure to change the water often.
- If you have time and space, immediately lay each wet photo – picture side up – on clean blotting paper like a paper towel. Don’t use newspapers or printed paper towels because the ink may transfer to your wet photos. Change the blotting paper every hour or two until the photos dry. It is best to dry the photos indoors if possible because wind and sun will cause photos to curl more quickly.
For more tips on saving flood-damaged photos, download our free guide found at: http://spectralight.com/copyrest
Do you have a personal experience with photos damaged by flood water? Please click “comment” and share it here.
