To speed drying time, dry items on a clothesline using wooden or non-abrasive plastic clothespins. If the photographs or negatives are stuck together or the emulsion is damaged, contact a photographic conservator or your local historical society or museum for advice. If photographic materials are covered with mud or dirt and are still wet, they may be gently rinsed in a bucket of cold, clean water, or a light stream of cold water, and then dried. Contact a photographic conservator. Do not freeze them unless advised to do so by a conservator.
Active mold looks either fuzzy or slimy.
Do not attempt to remove active mold. Dormant mold is dry and powdery. See safety precautions above for handling mold. Stop mold outbreaks by improving environmental conditions. Use a dehumidifier.