I am looking for some advice (help) with cleaning books. These books have been in storage for 5 years and have had mice crawling all over them. There is mouse droppings and urine on them, some are old books and some are newer books. I am afraid that the older books will fall apart when I clean them.
By Hass Bolourchi, Ph D, Library Dust Consulting (Guest Post)
To get ride of gasoline odor aeration and limited time of exposure to sunshine can be useful. In some literature ozone generators are recommended. I do not recommends this because ozone is a highly reactive gas and can damage your books and yourself. Vacuuming also can help. You need special HEPA vacuum cleaner with controlled air debit for not damaging books and protection yourself from books dust. For more info please see http://www.library-dust.com/vacuum
I would discount the Hanta virus warning as this is a very rare disease - you probably have a much higher statistical risk of choking on a piece of meat but you wouldn't stop eating meat because choking is a possibility. It was identified in 1993 - but believed to have been around much longer. By November 2003 there had been 353 cases identified in the US, and by September 2004 379 cases, (including 32 cases identified retrospectively from pre 1993) - so hardly a major epidemic considering the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of people that are exposed to mouse urine and droppings each day. Also 75% of cases have been identified in rural areas - thought to be related to the deer mouse, not the house mouse. These are US Govt figures obtained from Google.
If you are still worried air them in the sun and wear gloves and a mask to clean them outside. There are other viral diseases such as Weils disease that can be carried in rodent urine. Bleach solution will kill viruses. I would guess there is no way to remove urine stains from pages but covers and the page edges can be cleaned by wiping with a barely damp cloth, perhaps adding bleach to the water, but not getting them wet or spotted with water. Enclosing in a plastic bag with charcoal or screwed up newspaper may help remove the musty smell.
If the books are old and valuable I would contact your local museum for conservation and cleaning advice before attempting any DIY solutions.
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