De-moldifying an old book

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My mom saved a lot of books from when I was a kid, but they were stored someplace dark and dank and damp, (hey is "dank" just "dark" + "damp"?) and several of them are moldy.

One, "Carter is A Painter's Cat", was nonetheless read to sozlet at arm's length, and she LOVES the story and the illustrations, as I remember loving it when I was a kid. She keeps requesting it, and I thought I'd buy a new paperback version, looked for it on Amazon. Found out it is out of print, but ooh, one copy available...! $99!! Shocked

Have looked all over the web, that seems to be the only copy extant. (No wonder $99, I guess...)

Is there any way to take the book down a notch or two on the stink meter? It seems to be the inside covers that have the main problem, then the first couple and last couple of pages, with residual stinkiness throughout.

It was published in 1971.

Thanks!

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I've thought about making color copies and re-assembling into a book, but that would get pricey, itself.

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I think Piffka knows a lot about this, Soz....

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good old charcoal might be the first step to try and reduce the mustiness somewhat . place the book into a cardboard-box or similar and place charcoal around it - you don't want it to touch the book -, put a light cover on it and place it in an airy place. try and keep the book somewhat open ; try putting some high-grade blotting paper between the pages at the same time WITH CARE. activated charcoal would work best but may be somewhat expensive for your job, besides you can always use the ordinary charcoal in your barbecue once it has done duty as a "de-stinker". hbg ... certainly charcoal should do no harm, but perhaps give it a smell test first - you don't want your books to smell like barbecued ribs. i know that charcoal is recommended to sweeten a refrigerator.

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hmmmm, i wonder why i know the same hints as hamburger? :wink:

I'd add one thing - put some crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the box, and around the book and charcoal. Crumpled newspaper is recommended as a de-stinker when you go to Tupperware parties (funny how that info actually comes in handy every couple of years).

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Thanks much for the hints!! I'll see if Piffka comes by, try a few, and let you know what happens. (It really is a very cool book. It's about a painter named Mr. Blot who paints his cat every morning, and the cat, Carter, comes to life once he's been painted and wanders around and has adventures with his friend Samson, a "real" cat. So one day Mr. Blot forgets to paint his whiskers and so he gets stuck in a hole in the fence (because whiskers tell a cat how wide he is, of course), and the mice laugh and pull his tail and make mudpies on his back as he stews, another day he is painted Modigliani-style, thin and pitiful, and falls down a grate and is rescued by a kindly old lady who feeds him meatloaf, etc. Smile

GREAT illustrations.

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OLD BOOKS
a "lump of coal" is also supposed to freshen things up. about 1970 we camped in the cape breton highlands/nova scotia. we took a day trip to the miners' museum near glace bay where we took a tour of the ocean collery - the mine actually extended out under the ocean. at the end of the visit the "ladies" were all given a lump of coal by the miner/guide. he told the "ladies" to put it into the refrigerator at home and it would always be sweet smelling. mrs. h kept the coal in the refrigerator for many years. now she keeps a box of baking soda in the ice-box - might also work for the books, i suppose. hbg ... you are invited to visit >>>THE MINERS' MUSEUM

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Very cool!

We used to do the baking soda thing, didn't really know that about charcoal. We just a couple of months ago gave away our little grill and accompanying bag of charcoal, so I'd have to get some. Can prolly ask a neighbor or something. ("You want a few pieces of charcoal. While it's zero outside. Uh-huh. Sure, here ya go...")

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hmmmmmmmm

Best keep the book away from the sozlet if it's really mold, soz. Some scary stuff out there.

Quote:

PROCEDURES FOR CLEANING MOLD ON BOOKS
Locate areas within the library that contain moldy books.
Place several clean book carts (wiped down with a commercial disinfectant) outside of the library, away from public traffic.
(Note: The commercial disinfectant used to wipe down books should be tested to ensure that it does not damage the books and must be approved for use by the library's Director. We reco mmend using Simple Green-D which is a water-based cleaner/disinfectant solution.)
Leave a container of disinfectant, paper towels and trash bags with the book carts.
Have other carts ready to load the moldy books from the shelves.
When handling contaminated books, workers must wear protective gear. This includes wearing long sleeve shirt or other protective coat over street clothing, particulate dust mask (i.e. N95 particulate) and vinyl examination gloves. Unprotected indiv iduals may aggravate or develop allergic sensitivities to the mold spores.
Unload the moldy books from the shelves and place them on the book carts to be taken outside for cleaning. Cleaning must be conducted away from air intakes, other building openings and public areas.
HEPA vacuum moldy books by covering the following areas: outside front and back covers, joints between the covers, spine, text block and inside back and front covers. A soft-bristled brush may be used for stubborn growth.
(Note: When the user experiences a noticeable operating resistance when using the HEPA vacuum, the HEPA filter for the vacuum cleaner should be checked and replaced if it appears to be overloaded. The used filters must be removed, misted with water, p laced in a zip lock bag or sealed trash bag and disposed of in a dumpster.)
Place clean book on a disinfected book cart.
Once cleaning of books are completed, book carts that were holding moldy books must be cleaned with disinfectant and paper towels.
Once the books have been cleaned and before reshelving, the floors and shelf areas must be cleaned and disinfected. The shelves and flooring must be cleaned with disinfectant and paper towels. All paper towels used in steps 9 and 10 must be discarde d in a trash bag for disposal.
the exterior of the HEPA vacuum cleaner must be wiped down with disinfectant.
Worker must remove protective coat, eye protection, dust mask, and gloves outside. Wash hands with soap and hot water after completing the cleaning session.
Keep a record of where the problem areas are and note the time and day when the cleaning took place for future reference.
Institute a preventative cleaning program to address the continuing mold problem in the library. Books must be given to a quick wipe down with an appropriate disinfectant solution before re-shelving.

Personal Protective Equipment:
long sleeved shirt and long pants or protective coat
disposal gloves (non-powdered)- avoid using latex gloves since some individuals maybe allergic to latex
dust mask
eye protection (chemical goggles)

http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/mold.htm

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from EMERGENCY SALVAGE OF MOLDY BOOKS AND PAPER, by Beth Lindblom Patkus, Preservation Consultant, Walpole, MA

http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf39.htm

Part of step 5.

Quote:

Begin to dry the materials. Your goal is to make the mold go dormant, so that it will appear dry and powdery rather than soft and fuzzy. This will allow you to remove the mold residue more easily.

Wet material should be dried in a cool, dry space with good air circulation. An air-conditioned space is the best for this purpose, but if that is impossible, use fans to circulate air (do not aim fans directly at objects, however, as this can damage materials and further scatter mold spores).

Place paper toweling or unprinted newsprint (regular newspapers may transfer print to the wet objects) under the drying items to absorb moisture, and change this blotting material often. Air drying takes time and attention, since you must check drying materials often, and you must maintain cool, dry conditions and air circulation in the space.

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Oh!

Geez.

Hawaii would know.

I used to work in a used book store, and the owner can't smell. I would pull book-sniffing duty, to tell him whether books he'd purchased smelled fine or moldy. We called it moldy. How do I know if it's really mold? Is there anything BUT mold that makes books smell bad?

There is obvious brown spotting on the inside covers, the rest is just smell.

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Someone else had a similar problem ...

Quote:

Hi Edith,
Thanks for your great article on smelly books in this last issue of the bookologist (#13). http://www.bookologist.com/cab/abu/y203/m10/bk0013/s03

http://www.bookologist.com/cab/abu/y203/m10/bk0014/s06

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Thanks! I'm gonna send to my friend the owner, too, in case he didn't know about that stuff.

sozobe wrote:

I would pull book-sniffing duty, to tell him whether books he'd purchased smelled fine or moldy.

Ah, the opportunities provided, the vistas opened, the glamorous life afforded to those in possession of an English degree...

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I kinda put smelly books into google as a goof - but whaddya know, tons of hits. Maybe I'll try stinky books next. Gotta do something silly while the antibiotics are revving on high.

Ahhhh, the English major. Almost in as high demand as the biology grad. <sigh>

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looks like real funky stuff.
If the goal is to dry the mold then suck it up with a HEPA vac then why not bag the book in a mylar bag filled with silica gel. The gel will dessicate most anything then you can vac it. I like the activated charcoal idea to get rid of the final odor. You can get activated Carbon through calgon water systems. They recharge charcoal water filters with the stuff and you can get it cheaply in bulk.
I guess, once the book is clean and exhorcized you will need to keep it in a mylar bag and dont let it touch the other books.

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Bummer, Sozobe.

Roberta is the one who told me how to take care of this problem. I have personally thrown away lots of books at the library because of mold. It is like measles... it will spread from book to book. From Roberta's description (as told to me last summer) you need to spray the book with non-foaming lysol spray while you're ruffling the pages. Then leave it, as open as possible, in an air-tight plastic bag for a couple of weeks.

You could PM her to get the real deal, I may have missed an important step.

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MOLDY BOOKS
"What we call mold actually refers to fungi which are commonly seen on books and paper. Their spores are everywhere, either dormant or active. Mold will grow when the surrounding conditions supply it with food and moisture. This is usually the case when the relative humidity is above 50%, though many species of mold will grow at an even lower relative humidity, especially if it is dark and there is no ventilation. A prolonged period of a relative humidity above 70 % at a temperature of 80° will almost inevitably lead to mold growth.
Many fungi contain colored substances, as readily seen on these examples. Even after cleaning and disinfecting the area, a visible stain will remain. The paper will be structurally weakened and will need to be reinforced to prevent further damage through handling.

Exposure to mold can be a serious health threat to people who are allergic to it, or may even sensitize a person not prone to allergies. It is therefore extremely important to prevent any kind of mold outbreak in the Library by maintaining the proper temperature and relative humidity, and by isolating any books which display mold growth. At Bobst, any moldy book is immediately placed into a zip-lock bag and brought to the Conservation Lab for treatment ". ... for additioanal info and pictures of moldy books see >>>
MOLD AND FOXING ... you'll notice that they warn of SERIOUS HEALTH THREAT ! hbg

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Geez, I have been around lots of mold. Yes, I have been allergic to it for decades, that and another 63 things. I am a little chary about all the mold obliteration that is coming into the fore re housing. Apparently the retrotreatment and such is now big business and big business for insurers.

I don't mean that mold is not harmful, just a little wary of recent hyperbole. It has always been with us.

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True.

Great info, all.

The main thing I hadn't thought of was that it can spread to other books... "Carter is a Painter's Cat" shall be coming OFF of the bookshelf while I decide what to do with him. (Probably charcoal + newspapers, if I can find the charcoal, as most cost-effective.) Will let you know what happens.

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Better safe than sorry, soz. You don't want the sozlet to develop an exposure-based allergy to molds at this age.

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De-moldifying an old book

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