Eliminating musty odor in cookbook?
Question:Just bought a much wanted small out-of-print cookbook. It has a musty odor. Suggestions on how to at least tone it down? There is no evidence of water damage or mold.
Answers:
No evidence of mold may mean the mold is under the binding, or it's so widespread and light that it's not possible to see the damage yet.
I'd be wary of chemical sprays because you don't want to damage the book.
Try this stuff called Approach. It's natural so there are no chemicals to interract with anything, and it's great at getting rid of odor and even can kill some mold.
It has a very fine mist so try spraying it above the book and letting it settle onto the page, giving it a gentle exposure so you won't get the pages too damp.
Good luck!
Baby powder!
Maybe it's been stored in a damp place for a while. You could try opening up the pages a few at the time and letting it get some air and sunshine. If the odor is really bad; try a light spray of Frebreeze or Lysol in a spray can, etc. in the air and see if it helps.
use one of those cardboard car deorderizer that hangs around the rear view mirror or just add a dryer sheet. hee hee, sounds silly but maybe it'll work!
You need a container (no lid) that the book will fit in and one larger container (airtight, with lid) that and book will fit in...
Add to the lager container some odor-absorbing materials – like baking soda, charcoal briquettes (wo/ lighter fluid), or kitty litter… place smaller container in the large contain. Place the book in the smear container (no lid) cover the large container with everything inside… leaves it fro a few days… check leave longer if needed..
Lay it open in the sun for a few days working your way thru the book. The sun is a natural odor fighter.
Try putting a few dryer sheets between the pages and the covers. And keep them rotated till the smell is gone. Works for me.
Keep it out in the sunshine for a few days.
U can use air freshener or a deodarant too.
I would say leave it out in the sun for a day. Open it and lay something on it to keep it open. I would go out there and flip the pages every few hours or so. What about Oust? Isn't that stuff suppposed to take the odor out completely? You could give it a try, but I would try the sun method first and not spend the money. Have a great day! God Bless! :)
Sprinkle all of the pages with baking soda, then put it in an airtight container, like one of those plastic bins you can get at Target or WalMart. Leave this out in the sun. The heat will help to activate, and the baking soda is a natural odor absorber. Leave it out for a few days, then shake it out real good.
I've heard that putting a musty book in the freezer works, but I haven't tried it.
Also, charcoal is a great odor eliminator. Put the book in a zip locked bag with the charcoal and the musty odors should leave the book and become absorbed by the charcoal.
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