I've got an old book on logging equipment that has a lot of great info and photos. It's a catalog style book, not a hardcover.

The big problem is that it's a "moldy oldy", literally. Big time mold... Can anything be done to kill the mold and save this book?

Contact your local library or university library. Ask for the archivist on staff as they have ways of preserving old books.

Harry, I'm certain I'm not the first person on this list who's dealt with the issue of preserving old books, so I figured somebody around here already has experience with this problem.

I don't have the time to try and wade through the various contacts at the local university trying to get an answer there. This isn't exactly a Guttenberg bible, and it's only one book, so I'm not going to spend too much effort looking for a solution, especially when I suspect the answer will be "Sorry, there's no solution..."

Here's the answer to your question:

http://moldblogger.com/how-to-remove-mold-from-books/

Our university librarian says to spray the books with lysol, then place in a sealed bag and freeze them solid for a month. Afterward the mold can be brushed off outside.

I can tell you from experience what to do, also what not to do. About three years ago we got back some 100-yr old wood car Pullman drawings on linen, about 1200 of them - 50 each to 3" x 36" cardboard storage tubes, that experienced a flooded cellar after cataloging. When we received them we found 4 different colors of mold: green, red, black and brown. I tried brushing off 50 of them only to come down with a hacking cough, then by help on the Internet found that some of the stuff is deadly to breathe in small quantity. The answer was to obtain disposable paper outfits, premium masks, double gloves, and old hats; unroll them standing upwind away from everything and everybody; and place them flat in folders for professional de-molding. The professional process done in a facility located on the north side of Chicago, was to place them in a vacuum chamber, back fill with nitrogen, vacuum freeze dry, then brush off the remaining, nontoxic but allergic dead spores in a negative pressure, filtered hood and place the drawings in clean folders. This same equipment was being used to de-mold expensive furniture from New Orleans (aha the time frame) and to sanitize a wormy picture frame for a very precious old museum painting. For your book, I might recommend being very careful how you deal with loose mold! The other recommendations given above for cleaning - and drying - seem to fit our experience. Also, in handling old materials it is essential wear latex or vinyl disposable gloves (100 to a box at Home Depot for example) and/or to wash that black stuff off your hands before you scratch your nose etc or go out to eat. If you end up with material getting wet, wrap the items and place in a freezer until they can be attended to. Mold hates cold and loves dark, but is killed by sunlight. Keep in mind storing a rare book near sunlight for long periods is definitely not recommended, nor in a hot location. Check archival library suppliers for recommended commercial mold removal products.
Best of luck in getting rid of the stuff.
Sincerely,

Ted, the mold is the black variety, and I alredy know it has health effects. I am allergic to it, and when exposed get bad stomach cramps, and... well, never mind, but it's not fun.

This book isn't that rare, and after reading the info presented, I'm afraid attempting to preserve it probably isn't worth the time and expense. It's from the 1940's I'm guessing, and there are probably much better copies of it in existence here in the Northwest. It has some nice illustrations I was hoping to save, but I don't think it's a historical gold mine by any standards.

Reply ---

an easy well to tell how rare it is, is to do a search on Google Books...

There's a good chance there may be a better copy out there somewhere.

Bob H

I still believe the book is worth preserving, even if the time to do so by the owner is not available. Send me the book and I will get it preserved and returned to you. The methods stated are correct: freeze and clean. I was just trying to short cut the involvement in time by recommending the archivist. PM me if you want me to do the work for you.

Harry,


OK, the next time I'm feeling brave I'll put a dust mask on and try and find out what the book is and just how rare it is. I'll also take a better look at the current condition. If it's at all rare, and if it's not deteriorated to the point of no return, I'll let you have a crack at it.