Inspection & Contents

Protecting furniture and contents

• Move furniture as required.
• Lift and move furniture on plastic blocks, foam or foil to prevent secondary damage to flooring, such as tannin staining or rust spotting.
• Hygroscopic materials are vulnerable to humidity.
• Specific items may have handling recommendations, and it is advised to consider those.

Restoration techniques

• To stop potential damage, remove items to normal moisture level by removing surface water manually, or by using dehumidification, temperature control and airflow methods.
• If damaged contents are paper products such as legal, sentimentally valued or library documents, a specialised drying environment should be created.
• A controlled drying environment includes taking contents to a separate room, or controlling airflow and temperature.
• Sublimation — vacuum freeze-drying techniques may be used as well.