Smelly Books

[boswellbaxter]

At the old site, JaneConsumer posted this link on cleaning and caring for books:

http://fuzzyhistory.com/2008/07/17/how-to-clean-and-care-for-your-books/

Someone donated some periodicals to an organization to which I belong yesterday. I opened the box and nearly fell over from the cigarette smoke. So now, the periodicals are basking in a box full of air freshener, per Jane's suggestion.

[Rowan]

I skimmed over this page and didn't see it mentioned, but Lysol states on the back of the can that it's good for keeping mould off of books.

[Ash]

I have received books in the mail that were horribly smelly. I have a air purifier; I place the books (one at a time) on the vent, standing it up open so it fans out. In a few days, the smell is gone. If not, I send it back!

[Leyland]

I receive the occasional older paperback in the mail that has a moldy or smoky scent, so I spray disinfectant into the book as I fan the pages. That usually works without resorting to more complicated methods of removing nasty smells.

When I buy used books at a charity store or yard sale, I'll stick my nose into older ones and take a deep whiff before deciding to buy or not. I get strange looks sometimes. Maybe I should brightly smile and say "I just love the smell of moldy pages in the morning!"

[SonjaMarie]

Whenever I get books to sell, I always sniff them if they're older, I don't have a great sense of smell but if I can smell something I always note on the auction page that it has a musty or some kind of smell.

SM

[Margaret]

I'm allergic to perfume and cologne, and have had trouble with library books, used books and trade books being too scented for me to tolerate. My acupuncturist has suggested sealing the book into a plastic garbage bag with a ionizing-type air purifier and letting it run for awhile. I haven't tried this yet, but should test it out on something soon. It might work with tobacco odors as well.