The Aftermath of Experimental Floods: Salvaging Our Materials

This week we salvaged the materials that had soaked in lake water, clean tap water, and water contaminated with motor oil.  These materials had been placed in their respective bath for a designated time period, for example 2 days, 5, days, or 7 days, to illustrate the severity of the damage water can cause.

In preparation for salvaging the wets materials, we took safety precautions before we entered the room.  The materials had been in water for several days and most likely were covered with mold and mildew. In order to protect ourselves, we made sure to have protective face gear. We were instructed about the full range of personal protective equipment (PPE), from head to toe. However we decided that face and hand protection were satisfactory for our situation. Each member of the salvage team wore a respirator or taped a face mask taped to his or her face; some wore protective gloves.

We also made sure each person knew their duties while in the flooded area to ensure chaos or mistakes were avoided. Here was our roster:

•  Lead conservators – Michael and Crystal 
• Registrar and Curator – William 
• Safety Officer – Megan
• Media Specialists – Shanda, Megan, Alia, Karen
• Field Workers – Bridgette, Jamie, Alia, Sarah, Megan, Shanda, and William 
• Supervisor - Karen

We also wanted to have a plan about how we either salvaged our discarded items. The order was as follows:

1) Remove moldy items and evaluate the extent and severity of mold damage.

2) Remove items in cardboard boxes, plastic boxes, and metal trays.

3) Remove paintings.

4) Remove the electronics.

5) Remove books and other print materials.

We began with the materials submerged in clean tap water, moved on to items in then lake water, and lastly dealt with objects in the oily water.

Many items were not salvageable, especially if they had severe accumulations of mold.  We did retain several moldy specimens for experimentation. 

Some common methods we used were:

• Isolating items, especially mold damaged objects, in clean plastic bags or plastic containers
• Drying objects with blotting paper, paper towels and newsprint
• Packing electronic materials in rice to dry
• Arranging items to air dry      

 


 

You can view this short video produced by the Northeast Museum Services Center if you’d like to see example salvage techniques we employed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQctO6LHo1o

The very last thing we remembered to do is clean! It is so important to remove items that cannot be salvaged, old (and probably moldy!) water, and also to sanitize our containers and surfaces that materials were either placed in or on. We did not want to risk the spread of mold to non-contaminated areas in the lab area.  

Rising Waters: Setting Up the Experimental Floods

Our first experimental set-up tested various flood conditions that we believed most institutions would likely encounter. We drew inspiration from personal experiences, usually involving leaking pipes and Texas’ penchant for sudden heavy rains that turn into sudden heavy flash floods. We selected a variety of materials to use in the experiment including books, vinyl records, VHS tapes, paintings, and electronic equipment. So what do you do when you walk into work to find out a sprinkler pipe burst all over the shelves housing your rare books? How do you begin salvaging your collection after thunderstorms sweep floodwaters through your institution? These are the questions we sought to answer by “flooding” items under controlled conditions. Our flood will extend over the course of a week, at the end of which we will explore salvage methods.

We began by sorting the materials we gathered for the experiment. Our goal was to have a sample of each material in each flood situation we created. Two cardboard boxes were set up containing a variety of disorganized materials. These were designed to represent backlogged materials which in smaller institutions might be stored in more flood prone areas such as the basement due to space constraints. Other items were left loose in the plastic trays that would hold the flood waters.

In addition to different storage situations, we experimented with different levels of water contamination. Four of the trays were filled with regular tap water to simulate what happens when you walk in and discover that a pipe broke over the weekend. One of the disorganized cardboard boxes was halfway immersed in one of the trays. Another tray held a laptop and hard drive. Despite the increased interest in digital media and materials, the resources for salvaging electronics in the event of disaster is not as well documented, and this will give us the opportunity to experiment with rescuing data in the event of physical calamity. The last two trays held materials in shallower levels of water to simulate the puddle effect of a small leak rather than a major plumbing disaster. The other materials were put in a more natural flood simulation. For that we needed dirty water. Rather than just mixing tap water with a bag of potting soil, one of our classmates was thoughtful enough to bring in several gallons of water from Ladybird Lake. The remaining materials, including the second box of miscellaneous items, were submerged in lake water. Particulates in the water will present their own challenges as they adhere to pages and stick in the nooks and crannies of our materials. We are especially interested in whether or not the VHS tapes, cassettes, and hard drives can be cleaned of enough residue to be usable. The last tray held lake water covered in a film of motor oil. Given that asphalt absorbs oil that drips from our vehicles, if there is a flood, the waters will collect the oil from the street, which adds a whole new dimension to the damage being wreaked on a collection.

Our final step in designing the experiment was to decide how long until the flood waters “receded”. As our instructor pointed out, in the event of a natural flood, it could be days before the collection becomes accessible for treatment. For a burst pipe, ideally it would be discovered and remedied much more quickly. Based on this window of time and due to lab access constraints, materials were left soaking for a minimum of four days. By staggering our removal times over the course of the week, we not only hoped to simulate a wider variety of scenarios, but to push the envelope in regards to recoverability. At what time will the point of no return occur for salvaging materials? We aren’t sure, but we intend to find out.