Can I save moldy books?

March 11, 2016 7:33 PM

I had some books in boxes stored in my closet. Some water leaked in from outside and soaked into the bottom of the boxes. There's some water damage and mold. Can I salvage these books?

The mold seems to be mostly on the outside bottom edge of the books from what I can tell. There wasn't a lot of water but it did soak into the bottom of parts of the boxes. I can also see some very tiny insects as well. I was thinking of wiping the mold off with some microfibre cloths dampened with a vinegar solution, then setting them out to dry. If the mold comes off, will it just come back later due to spores?

They aren't really replaceable, and have mostly sentimental value. I'd rather not just toss them.

If I can salvage them, what's the best way to store them? Should I use plastic boxes with some sort of desiccant like silica gel packs?

posted by milkcrateman to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

I'm not sure if it works on mold but you can rent an ozone generator that is used for smoke and mildew damage. Maybe you could put the books in a box with the ozone generator for a day. Check at tool rental places.
posted by Pembquist at 7:39 PM on March 11, 2016

Best answer: Look for information on recovering library books from wet or moldy conditions.
posted by calgirl at 8:40 PM on March 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

No! I used to work for a used bookstore and mold was enemy number one on books. You can't get rid of it and further the mold can spread to other books in your collection. I advise you to get rid of anything with mold on it. Sorry.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:58 PM on March 11, 2016 [8 favorites]

Freeze them. Here's another link that explains various processes used to save wet books.
posted by mareli at 4:57 AM on March 12, 2016

Are they by chance paperbacks? Any bindery will have a machine that can neatly trim the edge off. I suspect WalkerWestridge is right, but if it is very much limited to the edges, perhaps having slightly smaller books might be a way to go here.
posted by kmennie at 5:50 AM on March 12, 2016

Just cutting the mold off won't work. The visible mold is only the fruiting body of the mature organism. The mold's hyphae and spores are already everywhere, and you won't see them. You need a way to sterilize the books completely.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 5:58 AM on March 12, 2016

Best answer: I had an old link from NEDCC that was dead but I found it on the internet archive: "A musty smell is sometimes noted in books that have been moldy or mildewed in the past. To remove the musty smell from old books, first make sure they are dry. Place the books in a cool, dry space for a couple of hours. If damp, open the books, stand them up, and fan the pages to allow drying. A fan will help circulate the air. If the smell remains, one option to remove it is paper containing Zeolite molecular traps. Known as MicroChamber® products, these paeprs have proven very effective in removing odors. We suggest placing a sheet of the lightweight, 100 percent cotton interleaving tissue between the front board and the endpaper, every 100 pages throughout the volume, and again between the back board and endpaper. Close the book and set it aside until the odor has been reduced. You may need to replace interleaving several times, putting new sheets at different locations in the book."

That paper is available at Amazon

I also read somewhere to bake the books in a very low heat oven. But I have never tried that.
posted by momochan at 8:42 AM on March 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

Short of professional treatment by a place like NEDCC (from calgirl's link) there's really nothing you can do to get rid of mold in books entirely. It may become inactive if the environment is controlled, but it can become active again and contaminate your other books, your body, and your home. Sorry.
posted by zem at 8:53 AM on March 12, 2016

Gamma ray sterilization is known to be effective on mold, and there are contract services that you could try to talk to about it. Isomedix and Sterigenix are the first search hits, and they also do ethylene oxide sterilization which is mentioned in calgirl's article. I haven't had to use them myself, but I would cold-call Sterigenix in a heartbeat if I had any excuse to do so.

Another article discusses conservation with radiation specifically.
posted by the Real Dan at 9:24 AM on March 12, 2016

Best answer: Hey, yo! This is like, part of my job as a bookbinder/conservator. I have multiple friends/colleagues who work at the aforementioned NEDCC. Do what calgirl and momochan said.
posted by clockbound at 10:31 AM on March 12, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks for the links. I ended up brushing the mold off (outside!) then wiping the areas with 100% isopropyl alcohol, and they've been sitting out drying and sitting in a sunny area. They aren't really worth any expensive method of mold removal.
posted by milkcrateman at 5:13 PM on March 19, 2016