<p>Your best bet would be to laminate the picture at a local print shop.  That would seal whatever has gotten onto the paper behind an impermeable barrier of clean plastic.</p>

<p>Barring that, you can probably get rid of most of the bacteria by exposing your drawing to ultraviolet light.  UV light is used in many industries as a disinfectant.</p>

<p>As for the amount of time that your picture spent on the floor, according to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODfbaZ9_XzQ" rel="noreferrer">MythBusters</a>, time isn't as important as it appears.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-02T01:12:27.933Z
@WebHead - sounds like archival issues are not the prime concern here... pretty sure repeated kissing of an image can cause damage as well.  The lamination may actually prolong its life.
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-05T16:22:31.967Z
@WebHead - Exactly... the question is not about archiving a drawing, it is about making it safe for a utilitarian purpose and the answer seems totally reasonable. I voted to reopen.
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-05T18:05:59.657Z
@WebHead - thats cool. It has four upvotes, maybe voters will comeback to vote to reopen though I doubt it. Its just a (no offense to OP) unusual question, at first it seemed off topic (germs!?) but then it does fit in that it is trying to address a specific problem in the production of an artwork (I guess this is getting meta again... will think on that.)
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-29T04:35:08.100Z
2019-01-29T04:35:08.100Z
Henry Taylor
<p>I made a little drawing which I accidentally dropped on a floor which must have been loaded with tons of bacteria. To make matters even worse, I had a hard time picking it up, so it must have been on the dirty floor for a good 30 seconds or so.</p>

<p>Anyways, I was wondering if it would be possible to disinfect my paper drawing so that I can kiss it without worrying about getting sick. (It's a drawing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so I often kiss her feet in veneration.) Of course, washing the image with soap and water is out of the question, as that would basically destroy it.</p>

<p>One thought I had was to heat up the paper image to kill the germs, but how would I do that? Is it possible to do that without destroying/deforming the image?</p>

<p>I hope I'm on the right .SE site to ask this question. (If not, please tell me where to go.)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-29T21:33:59.043Z
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not about arts and crafts per se. The same question could apply to anything dropped on the floor. Perhaps it belongs in https://medicalsciences.stackexchange.com/?
rebusB
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-02T01:14:24.410Z
Dag nabbit... Should have waited to close. I think Henry provided a really good answer!
rebusB
<paper><safety>
How to get germs off of paper?
Pascal's Wager
# How to get germs off of paper?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-29)

I made a little drawing which I accidentally dropped on a floor which must have been loaded with tons of bacteria. To make matters even worse, I had a hard time picking it up, so it must have been on the dirty floor for a good 30 seconds or so.

Anyways, I was wondering if it would be possible to disinfect my paper drawing so that I can kiss it without worrying about getting sick. (It's a drawing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so I often kiss her feet in veneration.) Of course, washing the image with soap and water is out of the question, as that would basically destroy it.

One thought I had was to heat up the paper image to kill the germs, but how would I do that? Is it possible to do that without destroying/deforming the image?

I hope I'm on the right .SE site to ask this question. (If not, please tell me where to go.)

**Tags:** paper, safety

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not about arts and crafts per se. The same question could apply to anything dropped on the floor. Perhaps it belongs in https://medicalsciences.stackexchange.com/?  
> **username_1**: Dag nabbit... Should have waited to close. I think Henry provided a really good answer!  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-01-29. Score: 5

Your best bet would be to laminate the picture at a local print shop. That would seal whatever has gotten onto the paper behind an impermeable barrier of clean plastic.

Barring that, you can probably get rid of most of the bacteria by exposing your drawing to ultraviolet light. UV light is used in many industries as a disinfectant.

As for the amount of time that your picture spent on the floor, according to [MythBusters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODfbaZ9_XzQ), time isn't as important as it appears.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: @WebHead - sounds like archival issues are not the prime concern here... pretty sure repeated kissing of an image can cause damage as well.  The lamination may actually prolong its life.  
> **username_1**: @WebHead - Exactly... the question is not about archiving a drawing, it is about making it safe for a utilitarian purpose and the answer seems totally reasonable. I voted to reopen.  
> **username_1**: @WebHead - thats cool. It has four upvotes, maybe voters will comeback to vote to reopen though I doubt it. Its just a (no offense to OP) unusual question, at first it seemed off topic (germs!?) but then it does fit in that it is trying to address a specific problem in the production of an artwork (I guess this is getting meta again... will think on that.)  

---

