Thanks to everyone who helped out with the question of mildew on books. Here
are the responses:
Mix water and white vinegar, enough vinegar to be able to smell it in the
water. Use a soft cloth, wring out, wipe books with the solution and use
another soft cloth to wipe dry. Leave out on a table to dry.
see what the real professional say about it . . i'm betting the consensus
will be to dump everything.
I just want to tell you that I use bounce to get rid of odors.
I've spent my alot of time drying out books and ironing pages (be very
careful) on more than one occassion. One was an a leak on a brand new box
of books.
Since mold spreads, I would toss the books. I know it's difficult, but
those wet books will stink to high heaven and contaminate other books if
they aren't thrown away. They also pose potential health problems. If a
kid with mold allergies gets his/her hands on a book...well, you get the
idea.
I have used my Clorox bleach pen successfully on SMALL amounts of mildew in
books.
Put them in a plastic bag and place in the freezer for a few hours. I think
you can scrape the mildew off once you take it out - and possibly wipe down
with a damp rag with a clorox/water solution.
Here's what I have on mold/mildew:
Isolate the affected items. Begin to dry the materials. Your goal is to make
the
mold go dormant, so that it will appear dry and powdery rather than soft and
fuzzy. This will allow you to remove the mold residue more easily.
If books or paper are damp, dry in a low-humidity place (sun can held
de-activate some molds).
Clean the affected items. Do not try to clean active mold (soft and fuzzy)
yourself. Wear a protective covering/mask to keep from inhaling particles.
Vacuum the mold. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter; this will contain the mold
spores. A normal vacuum will simply exhaust the spores out into the air.
It is also acceptable to clean off mold with a soft brush, but this must be
done
carefully. Once moldy material is dry and the residue appears powdery, take
a
soft, wide brush (such as a watercolor wash brush) and lightly brush the
powdery
mold off the surface of the item. This should be done outside or the mold
should
be brushed into a vacuum nozzle. Be careful not to rub the mold into the
surface, since that will attach it permanently to paper fibers or the cover
of a
book.
If all else fails, use a solution of one part Chlorox to three parts water
to
remove mildew. Wipe off the mildew using a sponge, dipped in the above
solution
and that is squeezed almost dry. Lay the books in the sun to dry. Try not to
wet
paper, and do not scrub.
Spread pages of books fanwise to dry in an airy place. If still damp,
sprinkle
cornstarch between leaves to dry. Leave on several hours, then brush.
Dry and thoroughly clean the room(s) where the mold outbreak occurred.
Vacuum
shelves and floors with a wet-dry vacuum filled with a fungicide solution
such
as Lysol, then wipe them down with Lysol or a similar solution. Allow them
to
dry fully before returning any materials. If a musty odor lingers in the
room,
open containers of baking soda may help.
It is also a good idea to have the HVAC system components (heat-exchange
coils,
ductwork, etc.) cleaned and disinfected.
Only after these steps are complete should you return materials to the
affected
area. Do this only after the area has been thoroughly cleaned and the cause
of
the mold outbreak has been identified and dealt with.
Continue to monitor conditions and take steps to avoid additional mold
growth.
Marsha, the information below is from a "hit" that I saved "just in case".
Sharon
<> Freeze the books. Scrape the mold and then wipe with bleach. I would
have the books rebound
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When my school library developed mildew on the good cloth covers, the
school district provided me with a fungicide spray that was not toxic to
the children. It not only kills the fungus that is already there, but
it adds a protective coating to the cover. You might check with your
local Home Depot or your district custodial director about the choices
of fungicides.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Bleach is the enemy of mold. A wipedown might help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I sent a message earlier and forgot to include that you use ethyl
alcohol to remove mold not bleach. As well anyone trying to remove the
mold should be working in a fume hood as in the science labs or wearing
a respirator.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is is visible or just smelly? If it is visible, you need to clean it off
before you do anything with it.
Suggestions for cleaning:
Chlorox wipes, a rag dipped in bleach solution - read the bottle for how
strong - wrung dry (if you have sensitive skin, wear gloves), Lysol will
also kill mold, without bleaching the material, The trick to using any
cleaning solution on a book is that the rag has to be as dry as possible.
<>How did the mold get there in the first place? The book had to get
damp. How can you prevent this in the future? <>Another possibility
after you clean the cover is to put it in the sunshine.
If the mold is just on the surface, any of these measures will work. If
the book cover really got wet, and it smells even after you do all of
this, you then need to think about rebinding.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just putting contact on the outside will not prevent the mold from
escaping when the cover is opened and the underside of the cover is
revealed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have sprayed Tilex on other items to remove mold. I have never tried
it on a book though.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As one of those with allergens I can tell you the plastic won't help if
the allergy is severe enough. Try wiping them with clorox wipes and
maybe drying them off in clean kitty litter (to remove moisture)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<>
I've heard that you spray the book with Lysol or something that will
kill the mold bacteria. Let the book dry, brush it or vacuum it, if
there is still mold spray again. Because you won't remove the stain from
the mold, it will be up to you then to decide how to cover it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I definitely would have them cleaned and rebound. I don't know who you
use but we are very pleased with San Val.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Try looking at part III.B.2.c of this document.:
http://www.solinet.net/preservation/leaflets/leaflets_templ.cfm?doc_id=122
<> I haven't used any of the suggestions, but I found this leaflet when
I was researching mold eradication for my library...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd try freezing them first to kill the mold, then see if you can clean
the covers. If you can't, then rebinding is about the only solution.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<>Some of the library supply companies, I think Demco is one, carry mold
killer in a spray can. I would think that would work and then sitting
the book in the sun on a not too had day--the adhesive in book tape
sometimes runs so watch out for that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First clean the covers with a solution of water adding white vinegar
just until you can smell the vinegar in the water. Use clean cloth,
wring cloth out and wipe the books. That is what I did when I had mold
on books, filing cabinets, shelves, and I don't remember what all. Let
the books dry.
<>I wouldn't cover them with contact paper that would trap the mold and
probably make things worse.
We got a dehumidifier for the library, which has helped. We were lucky
that we had a place where we could have it automatically drain so don't
have to worry about emptying the pan everyday.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had an environmental specialist tell me that the books could be
cleaned with alchohol and that if the humidity is ok that the mold
should not be a big issue. I haven't done it myself, but it's worth a try.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get them rebound. Mold creeps under everything and it is an insidious
kind of allergy that doesn't always show up as runny eyes, etc. so kids
who have it suffer from symptoms like coughs, wheezing and the like.
The binder can check the other pages also.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebound is the way to go... preferably you should remove the covers
NOW... send the insides only to rebinding company.... the books should
NOT be packed TIGHTLY SEALED in a box to the company so the mold spreads
to the insides
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebind them. Mold allergies are nasty and you can get really sick from
it even if you're not allergic, if it gets into your lungs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marsha Redd
Librarian, Kelloggsville High School
Grand Rapids, MI
marsharedd@hotmail.com
Education is not a goal; it is a life-long process. Everyone is a student.
Everyone is a teacher.
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