MOLDY SMELLING BOOKS--help me deoderize em

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I bought a whole bunch of used science books from the late 1800's to the late 19"teens" that were used in secondary (or whatever they were called in the 1880's). They are great!! . They rpesent the forced rqcit qnd religiou based science that was the bases of how we taught our kids back then. THEY STINK of mold and mildew from being in an attic of an old school building that is being disassembled to move to a reconstructed town for tourists.
Right Now I have em out in the barn because they reeeek. I want to deoderize them and the only thing Ive known about is to spread their pages bag em and put in lots of baking soda . Ive never had gret luck with this. A quick E search yielded some post about using dryer cloths. In a bag.

Im thinking of using a dessicant and getting a castoff aquarium . put in a bowl of dessicant, a couple of dryer pads and turn the aquarium upside down. ANYBODY have any experience in this type pf conservation?

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@farmerman,

have you tried putting them in giant rubbermaid boxes with charcoal ?

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@farmerman,

oh
here's cousin martha

https://www.marthastewart.com/268854/books

Quote:

Both our experts agree that there is no guaranteed way to remove the musty smell of old books, but you can try by first wiping your book with a clean, soft, barely damp cloth. Wipe off the cover, the top of the pages, and the pages themselves. If the mildew contains any moisture, open up the book and leave it in a sunny, airy place to dry. A fan will help speed up this process.

Then fill the bottom of a large garbage can with odor-absorbing material such as kitty litter, charcoal, or baking soda. Kitty litter is the most inexpensive of the three. Place the book in a smaller can, and place this can inside the larger one. Cover the large can and let it sit, checking the progress of the book every several days. If all goes well, your book will be ready for reading within a month.

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https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/ask-nedcc/faqs

Quote:

One strategy involves creating an enclosed chamber. This is most easily done by using two plastic garbage cans, one large (with a lid) and one small. An odor-absorbing material, such as baking soda, charcoal briquettes (without lighter fluid), unscented clay kitty litter, or zeolites, should be placed in the bottom of the larger can. The object to be “deodorized” should be placed in the smaller can, which is then placed inside the larger can. The lid should then be placed on the larger can, and the chamber should be left for some time. Monitor the material periodically, since the time required to reduce the odors will vary from object to object.

A second option is the use of MicroChamber® paper, which contains zeolite molecular traps. These papers have proven very effective in removing odors. Place a sheet of the lightweight, 100% cotton interleaving tissue between the front board and the endpaper, then at every 20-50 pages depending on the size and condition of the volume, and finally between the back board and endpaper. Close the book and set it aside until the odor is reduced. It may be necessary to replace interleaving several times, putting new sheets at different locations in the book. For product information and supplies contact Conservation Resources at (800) 634-6932.

___

I have used charcoal briquets with pretty good success

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@farmerman,

Along with popping the books open, aim a fan on them. A lower setting is advised so the pages don't start to tear. Once they've had time to dry out completely, shove them in a tight sealing container. Baking soda is one option but that works more towards eliminating odors. Desiccants would likely help to zap excess moisture. Be sure to have a changeover supply as well. It might take 2 or 3 or even 4 attempts, but it will be worth it. If not for the sake of your own peace of mind, do it for the books.

(Don't forget to wipe off any particles what appear to be mold, use a light brush or soft cloth so as not to damage the books)

((some folks offer using a hand held hair dryer too. I don't. The heat from a dryer would most likely damage the already fragile pages))

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Thse are all reasonable approaches. Im going to start with the charcoal idea in the covered waste can . Since these are all older books the papers are crappy acid bisulphite sheets. So Id better be careful of the pH of my media pile. I assume that Im going to need time and dryness.
Im reading the Martha Stewart thing now. She knows everything

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@Sturgis,

yeh, heat on the paper will turn it crispy and then I just may as well just photo the things and send em to me for download and printout.

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@farmerman,

Cousin Martha's good. Turns out - one of her experts is from the site I referenced in my next post Smile

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Once you have the books cleaned up, you might take a trick from comic book collectors to help preserve them. They use acid free bags.

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I am reminded of the pre-Raphaelite painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti. When his model and lover Lizzie Siddall died while still a very young woman, he buried the bound manuscript of his poems with her. Seven years later he decided he wanted it back again, so he could publish the poems, and had it (and her) exhumed. The book was taken to a laboratory to be disinfected. The whole thing was meant to be a secret, but the story got out, and it was widely seen as an unsavoury and disreputable act. Quite a lot of the pages were illegible and some had disintegrated.

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@centrox,

If there were ever one totlly saccharin school of art and life style, it would be the work of the Brotherhood of Pre-Raphealites.
We're going down to the Delaware art Museum today to see the John Sloan exhibit and, in order to get to the exhibit we have to go through acres of Rosetti , Millais and Waterhouse paintings. Smarmy realism with totally sappy subjects. OY, Thanks for the reminder to poke my eyes out. Delawares museum has a Pre Raphealite collection second only to the Ponce collection in Puerto Rico. (All snottiness aside though, I understand the Ponce museum is in not the greatest shape for climate control due to the storm)

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@edgarblythe,

is there a problem for plastic bags to be a source of acid degredation of paper?? I never knew that . Im gonna have to look at that since I have lots of my prints in sleeves of plastic

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@farmerman,

Yes. Ordinary plastic bags can be destructive to books.

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@edgarblythe,

hmm. Hokey smoke. I have some train , amusement, and racetrack tickets from the 1800's that Ive loaded into hefty bags. I thought all plastic bags were acid free. I saw some ads for acide-free plastic bags and Im a bit confused as to what bags ARE NOT acid free???

I can see the eco-friendlly ones where they use inorganoc salts to aid in th breakdown

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@farmerman,

I'm not knowledgeable which bags are acid or not. I only know for sure the comic bag makers make a big issue of it.

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@edgarblythe,

still, acid free is the best way to keep newsprint from rotting away

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@farmerman,

farmerman wrote:

If there were ever one totlly saccharin school of art and life style, it would be the work of the Brotherhood of Pre-Raphealites.

I have loved them for nearly 50 years. Also, the "Marble School" led by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, including John William Godward. Yes, I know they are called lowbrow, you could use words like "saccharine", but I just like looking at them. For my Windows desktop wallpaper I have a changing slideshow of Waterhouse and Alma-Tad. I must say seeing them over and over again does make me notice certain things - some of Waterhouse's paintings have a bit of "genteel Victorian porn" about them. And Alma-Tadema...

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/8e/d7/9c/8ed79cf6e8c0032b2ea1da55b1dadc8d.jpg

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@centrox,

The Dupont family would agree with you. They amassed a huge pre Raphaelite collection of art, poetry on illuminated boards and Alfonse Mucha Posters.
I never said "Lowbrow" because it did have a following of fairly educated folks who loved the mythology. There still are entire art prgrams devoted to the Brotherhood. I JUST aint one of a the fans.

Im more a follower of Robert Henri and his posse

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I think there is a great deal unsavoury about the Pre-Raph Brotherhood. The way the women were treated, for one thing. I just like the painting style.

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@centrox,

well you would have been in hog heven with the galleries full of Pre Raphealite stuff in Wilmington Del's Museum of Art.

My wife was interested in the movement from a womens rights and suffrage movement in UK at the same time as the Pre's were writing , painting, and doing other stuff , like booze and coke.

I must say the show we went to see, (John SLoan in his several "periods" of painting styles), was almost lost in the work of the other members of the "EIGHT" and their use of dim light, soft focus,"Ashcan subjects" an studies of skin tones.

You could see the works were personal and quite competitive among the group members.
Dam good show.

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