Do flood-soaked camera bags pose any threat to gear?

[adam_pw_smith]

We woke up to three inches of water in our basement yesterday, which is where my studio is (well... was).

The cameras and lenses were, mercifully, sitting on a desk, but I have two LowePro bags that soaked up a

lot of water. The water was rain/storm water and more or less clear.

 

The bags were not visibly damaged, just thoroughly wet through the bottom. It shouldn't be hard to dry

them out. It seems unlikely, but I wanted to see if anyone knows of a reason why these bags would be

unsuitable to carry gear after they are dried out.

 

thanks

adam

[25asa]

I would think the bags could be used again, but I would worry about mold growing somewhere which could spread to lenses. But I think someone elses answer might be more well informed.

[greg lockrey]

I would clean them in an anti moulding agent to prevent any moulds to form. Mould is a lens killer.

[iskandar_azaman___kuala_lu]

I would take out every little piece that can be taken out and then rinse the everything with clean water. After that leave it to air dry in the open. If you've got a fan all the better.

[peter_hughes6]

Vinegar solution kills mold.

[bs]

Exactly Peter.

 

A solution of white vinegar and fresh water will negate a future mold problem. Rinse thoroughly and air dry. I use a front loading washer and have run LowePro and Domke bags through it (sans buckles of course) using a vinegar wash and fresh water rinse. I then hang them by the furnace to dry.

[dcheung]

can you bake them in the oven to dry and sterilize them?

[bob_osullivan]

While I'm only an amateur photographer. I'm a professional builder. I can tell you two things. 1) mold (mildew) is an enemy of all camera equipment. 2) mold cannot be effectively cleaned, removed or killed. When we encounter a mold problem in a residence we literally cut out the infected wood,insulation, sheetrock and replace it. You need to lose the bags, and protect your investment.

[William Michael]

It is not drying them out that is your concern, it is killing, rather eliminating every single mould spore, if mould (hardly visible in small amounts) has begun to grow in the bags.

 

I prefer a more cautious approach and certainly would not use the bags for many weeks (if at all) until I was certain mould did not exist.

 

I would take the same approach with your studio.

 

The resultant humidity in that room while the rain water is drying (note drying is only evaporation, which is water [liquid] converting to steam and then suspended in air) would make me think the basement room was not a suitable place for the storage / use of photographic lenses until the room was dry and realtively clean of fungii and moulds.

 

Regards WW

[William Michael]

While my answer was sitting in my computer overnight, before I submitted it, our Colleague and Builder Mr O'Sullivan contributed his comments.

 

His opinion is exactly what I am getting at.

 

My experience comes from owning studios situated close to the seaboard.

 

We went to a lot of expense to keep rooms dry and constantly low humidity - heaps cheaper and easier than getting rid of mould.

 

regards WW

[adam_pw_smith]

Thanks for all the useful info everyone (pls keep it coming).

 

> I would take the same approach with your studio.

>

> The resultant humidity in that room while the rain water is drying (note drying is

> only evaporation, which is water [liquid] converting to steam and then suspended

> in air) would make me think the basement room was not a suitable place for the

> storage / use of photographic lenses until the room was dry and realtively clean

> of fungii and moulds.

 

Most of the gear was brought upstairs immediately, so it didn't get any more exposure

than being out on a rainy day. We are moving to a new house in a couple of months and

everything that was down there is either up here safe or being packed up and put into

storage. The restoration company has the bags (and some other gear) and they've been

told about the mould issue, so we'll see if they choose to try to clean it or just list it as a

write-off.

 

adam

[matthias_meixner2]

Just an idea: Wash them in the washing machine and use the dryer to make them dry. As a net effect they will become nicely clean. However, there is the risk of totally ruining them. Either way will speed up your decision :-)

[aleskoubik]

Adam

 

I would take the bag to your local dry cleaning store. I am sure the chemicals will kill any possible mold.

 

Good Luck

Ales

[len_kocurek]

Bleach will kill mold. You might soak it in a bleach solution.

[kelly_flanigan1]

In Katrina flooded areas the dogma preached by the out of state storm chasing "mold eliminator experts" is the bleach is TOTALLY worthless against mold. You have to use their services where the witches brew costs several hundred per gallon, to "fix" a house might cost 1 to 2 grand. Only they are certified to spray houses to get a mold certificate, that may be required if one wants to sell ones house to a concerned buyer. One can pull say either the 1st 4ft of sheetrock out, or 8 feet, dump all the houses contents to the curb. Then one might scrub each stud with bleach and a fungicide from Sams. One can vacuum the entire slab. Then the storm chasing "mold eliminator experts" arrive and squirt a few studs, look around and make a cool grand or two; quite a racket. For those who are not moving away this mold BS is viewed as a total racket and scam. <BR><BR>Camera gear really needs fresh air; not a dark damp case. ALL the flooded camera and lens cases I had flooded in Katrina also contain sea salt, so no mold or fungus, just salt to corrode up the aluminum like mad!.:)

[kelly_flanigan1]

In some Russian Zorki leather cases, when they are wet they stink of urine, what the leather was cured in. Some of the 19 dollar leather jackets at grocery stores are like this too, made in some mystrey country. You might buy one in July in LA and then travel to Kansas City and get rained on, and then smell like a half time super bowl mens room. <BR><BR>Oneway to kill off the total funk in a car, of clothes, of drapes, camera cases, wet dog smell in a car, carpets, jackets is to use a professional ozone generator. A real one costs 300 to 500 bucks; normally hotels use these, used car dealers, realtors, some laundrys too. Im not talking about wimpy air cleaners with a goofy ion switch, but a full bore pro ozone generator that really makes the entire house or car smell like a zillion electric trains are running, with the ozone in the house too much for normal human lungs. You turn the deals on, leave for the day; come back and one up the doors!