Packing slightly damp books for storage

April 24, 2007 5:18 PM

I'm planning on storing a large amount of (very slightly damp) books. Advice required.

I'm looking to put around 150 large format/hardback books and 250-300 paperbacks into storage. The books have been in a slightly damp environment but the majority are not badly damaged. The cheap ones have wrinkled slightly but most are normal or close to normal. They have no great value but I'd like to keep them as nice as possible.

My plan is to lay them out in a dry environment for 24hrs then pack them into cardboard boxes with the covers facing upwards. To me this would offer the best chance of keeping the pages straight and would minimise any bending or buckling that packing them with the spine facing upwards (or other methods) might cause. The books will be stored in boxes in a normal environment after this.

Any advice is welcome on how to best combat/resolve the dampness. Is silica gel an option? Any other tips? As I say they are just showing the first signs of dampness - I want to make sure it won't get any worse. Thanks.

posted by fire&wings to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 comments total)

I would use sealed plastic bins with a chemical dehumidifier. You can pick them up at your local hardware store and they'll suck all the water out of whatever is in that box. They will leave a pool in the lower container of a salty water, so don't tip the boxes at all. The salt itself is also kinda icky. Silica should also work but might cost you more.

Here's one example.
posted by chairface at 5:35 PM on April 24, 2007

I had to pass a google stone to find what I was looking for. I've used this product with success. These contain calcium chloride as the drying agent instead of silica gel.
posted by chairface at 5:43 PM on April 24, 2007

To quote my former librarian father, "Oooh, damp books. Very tricky."

However, he said if the dampness is truly minimal, you might be able to mitigate further damage by doing the following: when you lay the books out pre-packing, lay them out on their backs with the pages open, as if you were going to read them, with the pages fanned out if possible (the paperbacks probably won't stay open, but the hardback books should). Then put a dehumidifier in the room where they will be lying out to dry. He said 24 hours may not be long enough, so if you can, let them dry for longer. Also, he said that you are correct that packing them with the spine facing upwards will lead to buckling. However, if you pack them with the covers up, the front and back boards of the hardbacks may bend and bow from the flat weight of the book itself, in addition to any additional books on top. So when you pack them, he suggested packing them the way you would put them on a shelf (not spine up, but rather spine vertical). Books are basically designed to sit on a shelf that way, so it follows that that would be a good way to pack them.

Oh, and he said make sure your boxes of books aren't resting directly on a cement floor in the storage area--cement holds moisture very easily.

Good luck!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:51 PM on April 24, 2007

drying books
more about drying books
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:35 PM on April 24, 2007

I recall seeing large amounts of silica dessicant for sale, cut-rate, in some geek/surplus catalog, and also reusable calcium chloride packs, but I've just checked both American Science and Surplus and Edmund Scientific online, and I didn't find any such thing at either. If you know of any other good supply companies, check them out (and please post so I'll know what they are).
posted by eritain at 10:03 PM on April 24, 2007