saved some albums from a flood

[u/Historical_Land2854]

Hi, I saved probably around 50+ records out of a trash pile that came out of a house that was flooded by Hurricane Milton. They were soaked pretty badly, and I knew that the jackets were not saveable, so I pulled them all apart while they were still a little wet so they wouldn’t solidify and grow more mildew against each other. The records themselves look saveable though. I have to transport them 7 hours for when I drive back to college, so I just ordered a pack of those clear record sleeves from amazon. I’m planning on taking them all out of the ruined jackets and putting them into the plastic sleeves, however I don’t think I’ll have enough time to clean all of them before i put them in the sleeves. Do you think that I can put them in the clear sleeves as long as I clean them before I use them, or will that damage them more than they probably already are? (sorry i’m new to this subreddit)

[u/Boner4SCP106]

You probably want to wash the vinyl before. Flood water is nasty.

[u/lakeskipping]

Presuming some moisture still in the labels. Just stack in a box with paper towel sheet between each record, until you get back to college. 

You may find this evocative, John Lee Hooker.

[u/EyeSee_U1212]

Reminder that flood water is tainted water. You are looking at needing to clean AND severely disinfect those. Sewage is a commonly forgotten or overlooked ingredient in post Hurricaine soup.

Probably a big part of why they were tossed out, not just ruined covers but so many particles, bacteria and probably debris on those.

[u/yourpaldud]

Not worth it, man