Removing Mildew from Books

RE: Removing Mildew from Books Post By Jo (Guest Post) (07/23/2008) I tried the microwave thing on some very old Dick and Jane Readers from 1946. I think it helped. I did 10 seconds each book. There is still some odor but not as much. These books were "new/unused" and in original plastic package. The package was worse than the books. I guess books need air. I am going to try the sunshine thing but not today, it's raining. :0) Report Spam or Abuse RE: Removing Mildew odor from Books Post By MIKE (Guest Post) (12/07/2007) I recently purchased an old repair manual. It's a 3-ring vinyl binder with a few hundred pages. There is no sign of mold or water damage but has a strong musty smell. The edges on all the pages have an slight ordor but it's the vinyl 3-ring binder that has the strong musty smell. I've washed and dried the binder three times with Antibacterial Dawn, Pine-Sol and Lysol but with little results. Afterwards, I made the mistake of placing the binder on top of another binder, just for a day, and now that binder has the musty ordor that I can't get rid of. I've tried freezing the binder and then boxing up with newspaper but no help in eliminating the ordor. I've now bought a box of Arm & Hammer cat litter. The question is, when I put the cat litter and the musty manual in a sealed container, do I set the manual right on top of the cat litter and also cover the manual with the litter? Will direct contact with the dry litter cause any damage to the vinyl binder and it"s paperwork? Report Spam or Abuse RE: Removing Mildew from Books Post By Robert. (Guest Post) (08/18/2007) I have heard that a (very)short time in the microwave will kill mold and mildew. Im not sure if it removes the smell though. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Removing Mildew from Books Post By Robert. (Guest Post) (08/18/2007) I have heard that a (very)short time in the microwave will kill mold and mildew. Im not sure if it removes the smell though. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Removing Mildew from Books Post By Katie (Guest Post) (06/12/2005) RE the kitty litter tip - would that be the regular clay litter or the clumping type. Just want to be sure as I am unpacking a lot of books that have been stored in a very "uncontrolled" situation - ie, a big barn for 5 years. I only have smell on most of them, so I am looking fora way to do this in bulk. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Removing Mildew from Books Post By (Guest Post) (11/09/2004) Hello! Please do not use bleach on books! Even a very diluted amount will eat through the paper. The best thing to do is put the book, if possible, in the freezer. That immediately kills the mold. Then take out of the freezer (at least one day later) and take rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab -- and wipe the mold off the book. Then put outside on a sunny day to help take the mold smell out. But don't leave the book out over night. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Removing Mildew from Books | (10/09/2001) Hi Theresa, My best advice would be to brush off as much as possible, then wipe them down with a damp cloth with a little bleach (1 tbs. per cup of water), let them sit for a few minutes to give the bleach time to work. Then rinse with a damp cloth with clear water (use only a damp cloths so you don't get the covers too wet.) You might want to use a little Pledge on them after you finish and they are totally dry. That will seal the covers so hopefully they won't mildew again. - Susan Report Spam or Abuse