How do I remove mold from old books?

Question

Does anybody know a good/safe way to remove mold from old books? I had a large box of old kid books that got very wet and now are growing black spores. Any ideas will be much appreciated!

Answer 1

In damp summer weather, keep papers and books as dry
as possible to help prevent mold. If you have an
enclosed bookcase, keep a small electric light lit
continuously in the bookcase or use a chemical
dehumidifier, keeping the doors closed as tightly as
possible.

Remove any dry,loose mold from paper with a clean,
soft cloth. If mildewed paper is damp, dry it first--in
an airy place, if possible.

If the mildewed paper is washable, wipe it gently with a
cloth wrung out of thick soapsuds, then with clear water.
Take care not to wet the paper more than necessary. Do not
scrub it. Finally pat with a soft, dry cloth. If stains
remain, bleach with a solution of a household bleach, then
sponge with a cloth wrung out of clear water. For small
stains, a commercial ink eradicator may be useful.

Spread pages of books out fanwise to air. If the
books are very damp, sprinkle cornstarch or talcum powder
between the leaves to take up the moisture. Leave starch
or powder on for several hours then brush off.

Answer 2

Hopefully the books haven't dried yet. If they are not, put them in a freezer immediately. If they are allowed to dry the way they are, they will be ruined from warping as they dry. You need to control the drying process to prevent serious damage to the book. If the book dries out, the pages can stick together, as well as completely deforming. A large-capacity deep freezer is best ... the colder the better.

With mold, while handling books, you'll need to be wearing a mask. You don't want to inhale the mold.

To control the mold, the best a homeowner can do is to use isopropyl alcohol. Put this in a spray bottle and spray everywhere you see or suspect mold. Freeze the book until you are ready to spend some serious time with it.

When you are ready to start drying the books, remove one from the freezer. Using a hair dryer, start with a cover and warm the cover. When it is thawed, you'll be able to lift it and open it. With a cloth, you should be able to gently clean the mold. (You need to still be wearing a mask. Gloves are a good idea as well.) Dry the cover thoroughly. Then move on to the first page, thawing, wiping down and drying. You'll need to do this for each page. It will be time-consuming, but it is the only way to dry the book safely. If you can't complete the entire book, place a bit of wax-paper between the page you finished and the next to go, and place it back in the freezer. If you are storing food in teh same freezer, you can keep the books in heavy sealed plastic bags to keep the smell of alcohol from getting into your food.

You'll also want to keep the area where you are working on the books disinfected to prevent the spread of mold. Simple Green (tm) is good for this as are some other cleaning products.

It's a great deal of work, so you might want to think about the value of the books and whether it's really worth the exercise.

Professionals have drying freezers and such that a homeowner doesn't have access to, so you're stuck that way.

Edit:

Someone said vinegar. DO NOT USE VINEGAR! It is an acid and will eventually destroy the pages.

Answer 3

You can't really remove it. But you can spray it with Lysol spray (back well off so it won't saturate too much) and it will kill what is there. If you have a lot of mold on the edges of the book, dampen a rag with a dilute bleach mixture and rub it off while holding the book closed tightly.

Answer 4

http://www.ehow.com/how_2057307_remove-mildew.html

I hope Step Three helps. If not, just use yr hairdryer (turn it up hot, but not too hot) & blow the pages. It'll stop the mold from growing further, but it won't remove it sadly. Heat kills mold, but be careful not to burn yr pages!!

Answer 5

you could try white vinegar and a cotton ball but I think the best thing to do is to dry them out. Books can be damaged easily and I'm not sure they're salvagable at this point.

Answer 6

Hope you get some good answers, I'd like to know myself.

Answer 7

Go to an old bookstore and ask them...

Answer 8

u cant

Answer 9

EAT IT?