Deodorizing a Musty Book - Tip 1
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Deodorizing a Musty Book - Tip 1
Sometimes you will buy an older book, and find it has a musty odor. I have seen a number of recommendations about putting the book in a bag with cat litter, activated charcoal or baking soda. This can work with books made of a fairly coarse paper, but not coated paper. Place the book into a paper bag with a container of baking soda (which seems to work best) and close the bag; leave it alone for about 2 weeks. According to one source, this works "about half the time."
Libraries sometimes place such books into a fume hood with a container holding Lysol-soaked cotton balls. After leaving the fume hood on 24 hours a day for a week, they report the odor is "greatly diminished."
