Flood-damaged treasures can be resurrected

The victims of last week's Bay of Plenty floods should not give up hope of saving family treasures they find covered in water or mud.

Tauranga museum curator Rachael Davies said waterlogged or mud-damaged items could be resurrected but needed treating with care.

"You can end up doing more harm than good," she said.

Ms Davies said books, photos and other paper items were particularly vulnerable to further damage. Rather than wipe them, it was better to blot the surface with a soft towel.

"The idea is to do it quite gently."

Rubbing books covered in mud caused dirt to penetrate the surface.

Instead, they could be rinsed with water and slowly dried.

Ms Davies also warned against pulling apart pages of wet books or photo albums as this damaged the binding.

She recommended drying them in a room with fans and adequate space to allow air to circulate freely.

For people without enough space, popping items in the freezer was a way of buying time.

Freezing arrests deterioration by "snap-locking" the item in the state it was found and prevents mildew setting in.

She said anyone with concerns or wanting advice should contact museum staff at Tauranga District Council.

The staff would be available to help with large or valuable collections of books, art, photographs or other personal treasures.

No public library or art collections have been reported damaged in the floods.

Saving your treasures

* Gently blot rather than wipe wet or muddy books, pictures and papers.

* Dry slowly in a room with fans and where air can circulate freely.

* Freeze items to arrest deterioration.