General Question

Nullo's avatar

How do I de-mold my book?

Asked by Nullo (22009points) March 28th, 2010

I’ve got a book that apparently was left in the dark and the damp for too long, and has grown a healthy, paper-staining mold colony.
Killing off the main colony is easy enough, but is there a way to get rid of the staining? It goes through several pages, and I suspect that it might harbor secondary colonies.

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7 Answers

anartist's avatar

you could set up the book over a tray of very diluted bleach or hydrogen peroxide and dip the offending pages for a while until the stain disappears, then blot as dry as possible, and finish drying, open to the damp pages, outside in direct sunlight.

LalenaMikala's avatar

The stains are most likely there to stay, but using some Lysol on a cloth will do the trick (for the mold)! I live in humidity, so I am familiar what you are dealing with.

lilikoi's avatar

It needs to dry out completely.

Separate it from all other books as the mold can travel easily.

I’d just let it bake out in the hot sun for a day or two. I’ve put them in the oven before (but you need to keep a close eye on it).

The staining will not go away.

anartist's avatar

Look at this—Smithsonian research on paper conservation
http://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/bitstream/10088/8141/1/mci_JAIC1992-DvR.pdf

dpworkin's avatar

A paper conservator can sometimes remove foxing, but generally it’s only done if the book is a valuable specimen.

anartist's avatar

Usually by method similar to the bleaching described above, in case you want to try it yourself on a less valuable specimen.

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