Moving items on site
Items may be wet and possibly already starting to degrade. This means they are especially vulnerable to damage during handling and moving. The ‘Storage‘ page of this guidance has advice on useful equipment and materials.
Lift wet items by using supporting sheets to pick them up. This should prevent accidental tearing. For example, slip a piece of heavier weight paper or card below the item and lift it on that. For stacks of wet paper, you can use the static charge on the surface of sheets of Melinex to pick up wet papers. Pressing a sheet of Melinex larger than the item causes the item to cling to the Melinex and enables you to lift it safely and in a supported way.
You may need a heavier weight support sheet to lift organic material such as floral tributes and textiles. Vivak™ is a flexible plastic sheet that you can easily cut and shape using heat (for example, from a hairdryer). Making supportive sheets and scoops from this would be a simple and easy way to handle delicate items.
Once collected, transfer all items to a transit box or tray lined with blotter before taking to the triage or quarantine area. Use zip lock freezer bags to transport bound items or objects, and also to house any items that have detached parts.
Drying
Drying is usually a multiple stage process. You can accelerate all drying procedures by circulating air. Create good ventilation with fans on a low-speed setting and with dehumidifiers in the drying space.
Do not use heat, to reduce the risk of mould.
If items are wet rather than damp you will need to change the drying medium several times to ensure good results. Begin by allowing any liquid water to drain off the surface of wet items where possible – but be aware that tipping damaged or fragile items may cause them to deteriorate further.
Next, place items in a single layer on sheets of newsprint to soak up the majority of the water, allowing them to air dry until damp. Do not stack the newsprint, but keep it in a single layer until items have dried to a damp state. You may need to change the newsprint.
You can place damp paper and photographic items on sheets of blotting paper in a single layer until they are dry. Then stack them between sheets of blotting paper. Ideally use a non-woven non-stick textile such as Bondina™ or silicone release paper for single sheet coated paper materials (for example, art prints), to prevent sticking.
Place bound items on their tail edge (lower edge) on blotters and fan them out. If the pages are stuck do not force them apart if they are unwilling to release. You can make an effective wind tunnel from tables covered with a polythene sheet and a fan on low speed at either end. Interleave wet books which have coated paper text blocks (for example, art books) at each page with silicone release paper to prevent the pages sticking. Reshape the books as much as possible.
You can interleave damp bound material with sheets of blotting paper approximately every 25 pages and allow them to dry flat in a single layer. Do not over interleave the book so that the binding becomes overly distorted or damaged.
Special considerations
Flowers
These may be already degraded and very fragile, and their colour may transfer. If you have decided to keep flowers (see ‘Selecting or appraising material’, on the ‘Documenting and selecting material‘ page of this guidance) it is important to stop them affecting other items. Isolate them in separate boxes and trays and dry in a single layer, which should prevent colour contamination.
Other materials (textiles, wax, objects)
In damp environments, metals can cause staining as well as degradation of paper materials in particular. Do not attempt to remove metal fastenings when objects are wet, but prioritise them for drying. You can remove them once dry.
Dry wax items using paper towels and then air dry on newsprint before storing separately. If wax is in contact with paper items it can cause staining, so isolate these items in mixed boxes.
Textiles can also have dyes which run, so you should isolate them when drying. Unfold items and, if clothing, lightly shape them with rolled up tissue paper balls to enable air to circulate through the layers.
Managing items that have stuck or fused together
Coated papers and photographs may easily become stuck to themselves or other items. You can peel these apart if there is no resistance, but you should be extremely careful. If they will not release with light pressure do not force them apart, but dry together using the most appropriate methods listed above.
Photographic material
Dry photographic prints and negatives with the image or emulsion side uppermost.
Managing highly sensitive ink
Inks from felt tip and fountain pens can be highly prone to deterioration in damp conditions. They can also be very sensitive to fading through prolonged light exposure. You should identify items with highly sensitive ink that require additional protection as a priority at the collecting site.
If ink is actively running or bleeding due to water you can use a hairdryer on a low heat setting to dry the item and prevent ink movement. Do not blot, which may spread the problem. Place items flat and still on blotting paper to draw away the moisture and prevent running.