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Blowing a fan at an old book to get that musty smell out: dumb or stupid?

32 posts in this topic

Fabreeze

 

Oh No! lol..I've gotten some books that must have been Fabreezed, they smell like perfume, they make me sneeze;)

 

I've heard about kitty litter and baking soda.

 

Don't sprinkle the baking soda on the BOOK;) just open the box, like you do in your fridge and put the whole thing in a sealed plastic container for a few days.

 

Not that I do that, I just bag them and board them Good porous backing boards and with that CGC microchamber paper stuff, it seems to work after a while.

 

Yeah, it's not funny to recommended that as it is harmful and someone may try it.

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With a musty book, best to 'air' it in a dry bright room but not in direct sunlight. Open the book and turn the pages every few hours and repeat depending on severity. Yes, blowing a fan on a book is dumb.

 

I did something similar to this. I opened the book to the first page and placed a sheet of micro chamber paper across the pages. Every day I turned the page and moved the micro chamber paper to the new page. When I reached the end of the book the smell was gone.

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With a musty book, best to 'air' it in a dry bright room but not in direct sunlight. Open the book and turn the pages every few hours and repeat depending on severity. Yes, blowing a fan on a book is dumb.

 

I did something similar to this. I opened the book to the first page and placed a sheet of micro chamber paper across the pages. Every day I turned the page and moved the micro chamber paper to the new page. When I reached the end of the book the smell was gone.

 

(thumbs u

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I have dealt with musty collections. I first run my hand across every page. This removes and loosens the mildew particles. Then I fan the book page at a time 5 min or so per page. I have had great luck with this procedure and no damage to books.

 

But if there is mold, your lungs won't be a fan. Be careful with that, I know you are into science, but you could get you or someone else who has Asthma really sick.

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Fabreeze

 

Oh No! lol..I've gotten some books that must have been Fabreezed, they smell like perfume, they make me sneeze;)

 

I've heard about kitty litter and baking soda.

 

Don't sprinkle the baking soda on the BOOK;) just open the box, like you do in your fridge and put the whole thing in a sealed plastic container for a few days.

 

Not that I do that, I just bag them and board them Good porous backing boards and with that CGC microchamber paper stuff, it seems to work after a while.

 

Yeah, it's not funny to recommended that as it is harmful and someone may try it.

 

I thought for a second you were worried I'd really put my husband in the freezer (like he'd fit;), you mean the Fabreeze, right?

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This reminds me of the time I bought a cgc'd sketch off eBay. At the time I worked at my old program and had my books shipped there. The book wreaked of cigarette smoke or must so bad (through the USPS box no less), my staff walked the package up to my office and told me I was going to be pissed (lol we were a close program). I was so annoyed I messaged the seller (and of course he/she had NO idea why) then threw the book in the top of my office supply storage closet. About two years later, I moved on and was packing/cleaning out my office and found the book. No more smell! lol

 

Sorry, carry on. Haha

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Fabreeze

 

Oh No! lol..I've gotten some books that must have been Fabreezed, they smell like perfume, they make me sneeze;)

 

I've heard about kitty litter and baking soda.

 

Don't sprinkle the baking soda on the BOOK;) just open the box, like you do in your fridge and put the whole thing in a sealed plastic container for a few days.

 

Not that I do that, I just bag them and board them Good porous backing boards and with that CGC microchamber paper stuff, it seems to work after a while.

 

Yeah, it's not funny to recommended that as it is harmful and someone may try it.

 

I thought for a second you were worried I'd really put my husband in the freezer (like he'd fit;), you mean the Fabreeze, right?

 

Of course I mean the Fabreeze.

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I have dealt with musty collections. I first run my hand across every page. This removes and loosens the mildew particles. Then I fan the book page at a time 5 min or so per page. I have had great luck with this procedure and no damage to books.

 

But if there is mold, your lungs won't be a fan. Be careful with that, I know you are into science, but you could get you or someone else who has Asthma really sick.

wow i nvr thot of this-now i'm paranoid

 

"We have seen several articles that refer to mildew on books. Those writers are almost certainly technically mistaken. Mildew (a much smaller subclass of members of the mold family) is an obligate parasite that grows on living plants - like grapes.

 

So unless your books are bound in grape leaves, the fungal growth found on books and papers is indeed mold, often Aspergillus sp. (especially on bindings) or other problem molds, but it's not actually mildew (Oidium-Erysiphe - powdery mildew, or Peronosporaceae - downy mildew)."

 

Ps freezing does not kill mold or any other kind of spores.

 

Of course, if you follow my line of thought on this, it's not actually mold - it's mood.

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