How to save flood-damaged books and modules

Devastating floods brought by Super Typhoon Rolly and and Typhoon Ulysses destroyed a lot of houses in Luzon and, with them, important reading materials that schoolchildren have been using for distance-learning.

If you were able to recover any books and modules from the flood, here are some expert tips on how to clean and restore them for further use.

1. Assess the damage. According to DIY expert Sheila Torralba on "Unang Hirit," you should prioritize reading materials that can still be saved. Water can easily destroy fragile reading materials, so the slightest movement can rip pages apart and wash away the ink.

2. Clean water. If the material can withstand more soaking, carefully wash the pages in a basin of clean water. Do it very quickly and be careful not to damage the paper or the print. Submerge them just enough to take away any dirt and stains that have clung to the pages.

3. Dry sponge. Lay the pages out onto a clean, dry surface and gently dab away any excess dirt and moisture. Do it carefully and be careful not to smudge any ink and damage the fragile paper.

4. Separating pages. Leaves of books or thick modules tend to stick together after getting wet. You can fix this by inserting paper towels or pieces of cloth between wet pages. Placing absorbent towels every 10-20 pages will also help take away excess moisture and speed up the drying.

5. Be gentle. When handling important reading materials or separating pages, it's important to remember not to "force" it. Sometimes, a book needs to soak or dry at a certain point for papers to easily come apart.

6. What about the smell? Sometimes, books and papers submerged in floodwater will give off an unpleasant odor even after it dries. What you need is baking powder. However, make sure not to let the baking soda touch the pages because it has certain cleaning agent properties that can wash out the print. Instead, place the baking soda in a container and place it near the reading material. Placing this container inside a box with the books can also help.

— Margaret Claire Layug/LA, GMA News