Cleaning Books
A word of warning first. Some things should not be attempted on a valuable book — at least not by amateurs. If you are clumsy or fumble-fingered, don't do any of this. Any procedure involving chemicals has the potential to cause damage, and even materials once considered safe by conservators have later been shown to cause problems over the long term. But sometimes, especially when a book is unusable in its current state, you may choose to take that risk. It's a judgement call.
Paper and Matte Dust Jackets
For a matte-finish dust jacket or pages that are dirty, try a dry cleaning pad. These are available at art supply stores — a small cloth bag filled with eraser dust. Twist the bag to loosen some dust, then rub it gently over the surface with clean fingers. If that doesn't work, use the pad itself to rub the surface. This should remove dust and grime that isn't ground in. Dry cleaning pads are generally safe as long as you don't cause mechanical damage with rough handling.
Erasers will sometimes clean dirt that a dry cleaning pad won't. Always move the eraser outward toward the edge of the page — an inward motion risks tearing the page. A white vinyl eraser is preferable to a pink one, as it's less likely to lift the paper surface. My new favourite though is a Sakura foam eraser.
Glossy Dust Jackets
Use Windex or another glass cleaner. Spray a small amount onto a soft clean cloth — just enough to dampen it — and wipe carefully. Do not spray directly onto the jacket.
Cloth Bindings
Absorene works well on cloth bindings. It looks and acts like Play-Doh: roll it across the surface for a light clean, or rub it like an eraser for heavier dirt. It should be perfectly safe. Available from art supply stores or Gaylord Archival.
Groom/Stick is another useful product for cloth bindings, also available from Gaylord Archival. It's a soft, malleable, very sticky rubber — roll it across the surface and it picks up everything. Be careful that it isn't also picking up ink or gilt from decorative elements.
Vulcanized rubber sponges, normally used for cleaning up after fire damage, are reported to work very well on bindings. They involve no chemicals, so should be safe — though I haven't tried these myself and can't vouch for them personally.
Dust
Dust on the top edge of the pages can be removed with a vacuum cleaner using the soft brush attachment. First turn the book upside down so dust doesn't sift down between the pages, and remove the dust jacket before vacuuming. A soft duster also works, but hold the book tightly shut while dusting or you'll force dust into the pages rather than removing it.
Oil or Grease Stains
To minimize oil or grease stains on pages, place absorbent paper towels between the affected pages, close the book, and place it under even weight for several days. It sometimes helps, and sometimes doesn't.
Adhesives and Price Stickers
Price stickers on glossy dust jackets can sometimes be removed with a careful application of Goo Gone or lighter fluid — use a Q-tip, and a thin flat knife such as a palette knife to very carefully lift the sticker. Do not use a sharp knife; it's too easy to slice the glossy surface of the paper. This falls firmly into the category of things that should not be attempted on a rare or valuable book.
For stickers on matte finish dust jackets or on internal pages, I use a warm iron with a clean sheet of paper over the sticker. Even very firmly attached old stickers will often lift right off with some heat. Do not use heat on glossy dust jackets though, as the heat will melt the laminate.
Bookplates
Do not use Goo Gone or lighter fluid on a bookplate — it won't work. Bookplates are usually attached with a water-soluble paste, so only water will remove them, and it's a tricky procedure. Personally, I just leave bookplates where they are.
If you are determined to try: cut a piece of blotting paper to slightly smaller than the bookplate. Dampen it — not wet — and place it carefully over the bookplate without letting it touch the surrounding page. Place a sheet of wax paper over the whole page, close the book, and put a weight on it. Leave it for at least half an hour before checking. You should be able to lift the bookplate carefully from the edges, bit by bit. Sometimes it takes considerably longer. And don't attempt this on anything valuable.
Things That Cannot Be Removed
Some things simply cannot be removed and it's best not to try: ink, water stains with any discolouration, and anything that has been absorbed by the paper and dried. Leave them alone.
Musty Odour
Musty smell is actually mold, caused by storing books in a humid environment. The first step is to get the book out of the humidity. In a dry environment, the smell usually fades somewhat over time. Be aware that a musty book introduced to your library can pass mold to other books.
If the book is quite damp, try this: get some calcium chloride from a hardware store (it's used for de-icing driveways). Bake about a cup of it at 250°F / 120°C for one hour. Place it in a sealed container — an ice cream pail works well — along with the book, but not touching it. Leave for two or three days.
Once fully dry, clean the entire exterior with Absorene: the boards, the inside of the dust jacket, and both endpapers. If the book has coated illustration pages, clean those as well as mold grows readily on coated stock.
For mild odour, try standing the book upright with pages fanned open in front of a small fan. Spray plain Lysol from behind the fan so it scatters into the pages. Not for valuable books.
Many remedies circulate for musty odour, and I won't vouch for any of them. Most involve placing the book and the substance together in a closed container — not touching — for anywhere from twelve hours to three weeks:
- Unscented kitty litter (seems reasonably safe)
- Baking soda
- Charcoal
- Cedar chips or shavings
- Coffee
- Cloves
- White vinegar
Professional deacidification treatment has been reported to eliminate musty odour as a side effect, suggesting that acidity encourages mold growth. But this is expensive and can only be done by conservators.
Cigarette Smoke
Smoke odour can be treated similarly to musty odour, though drying is usually unnecessary. Clean the binding thoroughly first — smoke leaves an oily film that Absorene should help with.