I have added this page to my website for anyone who has photographs that have been damaged in the floods.

If you have photographs that have been in flood water you do not need to throw them away as there is a good chance that they can be rescued. Traditionally printed photographs are washed in water after they have been in the developing solution, so water alone will not actually damage photographs.

I have put a video on YouTube of how to wash photographs. There is a link to this on my links page.

Below, I have set out detailed instructions of how to wash photographs and also a section on how to set up a photo cleaning centre in your community if you would like to help others who cannot do this for themselves.


HYGIENE

It is essential to maintain good hygiene at all times when working with flood damaged articles.
Flood water can be contaminated with all kinds of unpleasant and unhealthy substances. The germs are only harmful when wet. Once dried, the germs will die. Therefore, rubber gloves should be worn to handle wet prints and all areas that have come into contact with wet prints should be disinfected after use.

Eating and drinking should not be done while working on prints.

If prints cannot be cleaned straight away, further deterioration can be halted by wrapping the prints in a plastic bag and freezing them. Prints need to be well wrapped to avoid contamination of food in the freezer.


METHOD OF CLEANING

1. Do not attempt to dry out wet prints and do not attempt to separate any prints that are stuck together, or to glass in a frame, or to plastic sheets in an album. These should be totally immersed in cool water and left to soak. After a few minutes, try to gently peel the prints apart. If they are stuck to glass and will not come away after about half an hour, it is best to clean the face of the glass and re-photograph the image through the glass.

2. Once the prints are separated they can be cleaned by immersing them in cool water with a few drops of washing up liquid added. Gently agitate the water over the face of the print to remove mud and silt deposits. Don't forget to do the back as well.

3. Rinse the print in cool water with a small amount of disinfectant added.

4. Rinse the print in clear, cool water.

5. Dry the print by sticking it to a tiled wall, or to a mirror or window and letting the surface water run off. (It will stick easily if it is wet). It could also be stood up in a dish drainer.

6. Once the droplets of water on the face of the print have gone, lay it on an old towel or paper towel for several hours until completely dry. Avoid touching the face of the print while it is damp as the photographic emulsion will be soft and vulnerable to fingerprints or other damage.

7. If the dry prints have curled up they can be pressed flat inside a book with a weight on top and left for several days (as if you were pressing a flower).

8. Older prints such as black and white or sepia photographs will need extra careful handling as the paper and the photographic emulsion are not as tough. If the print is mounted onto card, it may be best to seek specialist help.

9. Prints that have been damaged can be re-photographed or scanned and retouched digitally. There may be a kind person at your local camera club who would be willing to do this for you or you could look up photographic restoration on the internet.

10. Prints from domestic inkjet printers should wash successfully if done on glossy paper, but matt prints almost certainly will not wash.


SETTING UP A PHOTO-CLEANING CENTRE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Each workroom will need wipeable tables in a row long enough to accommodate four trays of water.

At the end of the row of tables a drying area will be needed (either on tables or on the floor) where a large number of prints can be left to dry completely (this could take quite a long time, depending on the warmth of the room).


EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS NEEDED

Washing-up liquid

Disinfectant

Rubber gloves or surgical gloves

Four cat litter trays or washing-up bowls:
1. To soak prints that are stuck together
2. To wash individual prints
3. To rinse prints in water and disinfectant
4. To rinse prints in clear water

Print squeegee to remove water from print surface
or tiled or mirrored surface to stick prints to while water runs off
or washing line with darkroom clips to hang wet prints from

Old towels or paper towels to lay out prints for final drying

Paper bags for clean, dry prints


CLEANING PROCEDURE (see above)


DELIVERY AND COLLECTION

When the prints are dropped off to be cleaned, they will need to be logged in with the person's name and contact details. A name tag with these details should be attached to the bag of dirty prints. When that bag of prints comes up for cleaning, a paper bag should be prepared with the person's name and contact details. This should be written onto the bag before the prints are put into it otherwise the prints could be damaged.

The bags of prints would then need to be placed in a safe place, preferably laid out on tables, so that they can be easily recognised and collected.