How to clean this white "mold" from leather back?
Talk Book Care and Repair
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1TELJET
Hi,
Found what looks like some kind of white mold on a book while cataloging just now.
Did some googling and found that i must ask here since I don't want to damage the book with the wrong cleaning method.
The book is from 1941 and in good condition except for this thing.
It has probably been kept in the wrong conditions before I got it..
How do I clean this book and if its mold, do I need to "kill" the mold somehow?
Image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RwzRoE1_hzkPCkQJJiw2_VPDDO3_eAuC/view?usp=shari...
Found what looks like some kind of white mold on a book while cataloging just now.
Did some googling and found that i must ask here since I don't want to damage the book with the wrong cleaning method.
The book is from 1941 and in good condition except for this thing.
It has probably been kept in the wrong conditions before I got it..
How do I clean this book and if its mold, do I need to "kill" the mold somehow?
Image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RwzRoE1_hzkPCkQJJiw2_VPDDO3_eAuC/view?usp=shari...
2mr.philistine
>1 TELJET: In addition to the mold/ mildew, the top of the spine also appears scuffed. Most self-help tutorials recommend first brushing or dusting off the excess mold with a soft brush or clean rag. Then apply isopropyl alcohol diluted with equal parts water using a clean cloth, making sure to rinse off the mold that transfers to the cloth. Don't forget to first test on a small portion before proceeding to apply on the entire surface.
Biblio guide to prevent mold/ mildew: https://www.biblio.com/book-collecting/care-preservation/prevent-remove-mold-mil...
Biblio guide to prevent mold/ mildew: https://www.biblio.com/book-collecting/care-preservation/prevent-remove-mold-mil...
3TELJET
>2 mr.philistine: Yes, I have a lot of old fact books that has been used daily by different professionals and it shows in some ware and tare.
My goal is to be able to fix them as good as possible. At least the rare ones.
This book and 2 more from the same series had this mildew.
I probably have some more books with the same problem since I have been on a shopping spree on antiquarians and flea market/second hand this summer and haven't got through them all yet.
Thanks a lot for your instruction. I had read about isopropyl, so now when I have a LibraryThing user as source I'm ready to give it a try :)
Also!. Thanks for that link! Been looking fore something like that.
My goal is to be able to fix them as good as possible. At least the rare ones.
This book and 2 more from the same series had this mildew.
I probably have some more books with the same problem since I have been on a shopping spree on antiquarians and flea market/second hand this summer and haven't got through them all yet.
Thanks a lot for your instruction. I had read about isopropyl, so now when I have a LibraryThing user as source I'm ready to give it a try :)
Also!. Thanks for that link! Been looking fore something like that.
4mr.philistine
>3 TELJET: Isopropyl alcohol = rubbing alcohol
You can get it at a pharmacy or an electronics hardware store or even Amazon. Go for 70% concentration. And don't forget to further dilute this with water in a 1:1 ratio. Good luck!
You can get it at a pharmacy or an electronics hardware store or even Amazon. Go for 70% concentration. And don't forget to further dilute this with water in a 1:1 ratio. Good luck!
6TELJET
Great!
I already have "Isopropanol" on the shelf..
It's 99,5% så I guess I can dilute it even more than 1:1 :)
Thx
I already have "Isopropanol" on the shelf..
It's 99,5% så I guess I can dilute it even more than 1:1 :)
Thx
7leboucher
A follow on question based on a a similar problem. I had a (temporary thank goodness) problem with damp that led to white mould / mildew patches on some of my book spines and slipcases. (Mostly folio society and LEC books) I have thoroughly cleaned and treated with Isopropanol spray and spot clean. My question is whether there is any way to know whether this has worked to kill spores etc so that it is safe those books in a library with others? Or ideally should treated books still be isolated? Would repeating a treatment help? I am also assuming that there is no way to remove the visible white patches from fabric / leather / board in any event but welcome any suggestions! (It still sets my teeth on edge to see it which may well tip me in favour of replacing some of the books!)
8mr.philistine
>7 leboucher:I am also assuming that there is no way to remove the visible white patches from fabric / leather / board in any event but welcome any suggestions!
Can you share a few photos of the affected areas? Each unique material will require a different path to maximum possible restoration.
>7 leboucher: My question is whether there is any way to know whether this has worked to kill spores etc so that it is safe those books in a library with others? Or ideally should treated books still be isolated? Would repeating a treatment help?
A cursory or visual examination - no matter how thorough, cannot accurately confirm or deny the complete expulsion of any pathogen. Repeating a treatment has no meaning unless a textbook solution recommends repetition any number of times. The only way to obtain 100% certainty is through a microscopic investigation and perhaps other scientific testing techniques - of which I know nothing. Barring the aforementioned techniques, the safest bet without discarding your valuable books is to work towards reintegrating the affected books back into your library but over an extended period of time and careful observation, say one year?
I suggest - without any experience in these matters, isolating the treated books in another part of the house if you have rooms to spare with the usual caveats like good ventilation, no direct sunlight, moisture/ humidity to a minimum. Avoiding the exact cause and conditions that these specific books were subjected to prior treatment would be helpful if you can remember them. Since you mention only the slipcase and spines being infected, separate the two while in isolation taking care to wipe off dust with a dry cloth as you see fit.
After a 6 months(?) of careful observation and flipping through the pages of these books every few days, I would think it safe to move to the next stage. If no mold or spores are detected, you could - at your risk, move these books to the same room as your other books but not on the same shelf or immediate vicinity. Keep them as far away from your collection but in the same room; the purpose being to acclimate but isolate these books till the final destination. Flip through them and observe them again over 6 months(?), at the end of which period if not reinfected, I would think it reasonably safe to move them to their original location.
Again, unless we can see photos post treatment there is no way to be accurate in such matters. You are the ultimate judge and owner of these books so you can very well decrease the isolation time but I think that working over a few months would give a reasonably safe margin for observation while exposing the books to gradual climatic changes.
Can you share a few photos of the affected areas? Each unique material will require a different path to maximum possible restoration.
>7 leboucher: My question is whether there is any way to know whether this has worked to kill spores etc so that it is safe those books in a library with others? Or ideally should treated books still be isolated? Would repeating a treatment help?
A cursory or visual examination - no matter how thorough, cannot accurately confirm or deny the complete expulsion of any pathogen. Repeating a treatment has no meaning unless a textbook solution recommends repetition any number of times. The only way to obtain 100% certainty is through a microscopic investigation and perhaps other scientific testing techniques - of which I know nothing. Barring the aforementioned techniques, the safest bet without discarding your valuable books is to work towards reintegrating the affected books back into your library but over an extended period of time and careful observation, say one year?
I suggest - without any experience in these matters, isolating the treated books in another part of the house if you have rooms to spare with the usual caveats like good ventilation, no direct sunlight, moisture/ humidity to a minimum. Avoiding the exact cause and conditions that these specific books were subjected to prior treatment would be helpful if you can remember them. Since you mention only the slipcase and spines being infected, separate the two while in isolation taking care to wipe off dust with a dry cloth as you see fit.
After a 6 months(?) of careful observation and flipping through the pages of these books every few days, I would think it safe to move to the next stage. If no mold or spores are detected, you could - at your risk, move these books to the same room as your other books but not on the same shelf or immediate vicinity. Keep them as far away from your collection but in the same room; the purpose being to acclimate but isolate these books till the final destination. Flip through them and observe them again over 6 months(?), at the end of which period if not reinfected, I would think it reasonably safe to move them to their original location.
Again, unless we can see photos post treatment there is no way to be accurate in such matters. You are the ultimate judge and owner of these books so you can very well decrease the isolation time but I think that working over a few months would give a reasonably safe margin for observation while exposing the books to gradual climatic changes.
9leboucher
Thank you for these suggestions.
The white spots appeared while the room was suffering from humidity due to a problem in the house which is now (I hope) solved. And do not seem to have visibly got worse a couple of weeks after treatment. It also seems to me that the interior of the books isn't affected at all. (But if you have any suggestions to check for more subtle problems or if I might be missing something I would be very interested to hear!)
Here I will try to link some pictures:
The white spots appeared while the room was suffering from humidity due to a problem in the house which is now (I hope) solved. And do not seem to have visibly got worse a couple of weeks after treatment. It also seems to me that the interior of the books isn't affected at all. (But if you have any suggestions to check for more subtle problems or if I might be missing something I would be very interested to hear!)
Here I will try to link some pictures:
10mr.philistine
>9 leboucher: Your photos appeared familiar so I searched and found your thread posted 3 months back on the FSD forum with similar photos here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/352474
Did you manage to find out if your cleaner uses some kind of bleach to clean your facility?
Going through some book conservation supplies brings up items like dry cleaning sponges and powders here: https://www.talasonline.com/chemicals-and-cleaners/dry-cleaners
You may want to check for suppliers closest to your location or Amazon/ eBay for similar products. But I am not sure how much these remedies will help as the cloth covers appear permanently bleached.
If the spots do not spread, museum-quality/ archival clear films like Grafix Dura-Lar come highly recommended to protect expensive book covers, but in your case to help contain any risk of a contagion. Some brands have products of various thicknesses which you might want to consider for books that fit tightly into their slipcases.
Here are some posts and techniques for your perusal:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/219023#6404423
https://www.librarything.com/topic/343214#7895173
https://www.librarything.com/topic/321771
Cheaper alternative to Grafix Dura-Lar discussed here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/333597#7829216
Did you manage to find out if your cleaner uses some kind of bleach to clean your facility?
Going through some book conservation supplies brings up items like dry cleaning sponges and powders here: https://www.talasonline.com/chemicals-and-cleaners/dry-cleaners
You may want to check for suppliers closest to your location or Amazon/ eBay for similar products. But I am not sure how much these remedies will help as the cloth covers appear permanently bleached.
If the spots do not spread, museum-quality/ archival clear films like Grafix Dura-Lar come highly recommended to protect expensive book covers, but in your case to help contain any risk of a contagion. Some brands have products of various thicknesses which you might want to consider for books that fit tightly into their slipcases.
Here are some posts and techniques for your perusal:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/219023#6404423
https://www.librarything.com/topic/343214#7895173
https://www.librarything.com/topic/321771
Cheaper alternative to Grafix Dura-Lar discussed here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/333597#7829216
11leboucher
Yes, that's right! I am pretty sure that this was either some kind of mould damage or some kind of insect damage. (Indeed the LACK of cleaning of the books for a period may also have made the initial problem worse so that practice has now been reversed to keep down dust / deter insects).
I agree the spots just look bleached which is why I had imagined that recovery was unlikely.
The suggestion of Dura-lar is a good one, thank you. I think I have a stash of similar films somewhere already that I will need to go search for!
For a couple of similar spots on slipcases I wonder whether something like putting a clear varnish over the spots could also help minimise any contagion risk?
I agree the spots just look bleached which is why I had imagined that recovery was unlikely.
The suggestion of Dura-lar is a good one, thank you. I think I have a stash of similar films somewhere already that I will need to go search for!
For a couple of similar spots on slipcases I wonder whether something like putting a clear varnish over the spots could also help minimise any contagion risk?
12mr.philistine
>11 leboucher: For a couple of similar spots on slipcases... putting a clear varnish over the spots...
Here is an informative post discussing the nature of varnish: https://www.librarything.com/topic/172949#4803677
And a discussion on protecting slipcases with a photo of a clear film wrapped around a slipcase (on the FSD forum) here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340249
The slipcases being paper or fabric bound means the varnish will be absorbed by the respective fibres.
Here is an informative post discussing the nature of varnish: https://www.librarything.com/topic/172949#4803677
And a discussion on protecting slipcases with a photo of a clear film wrapped around a slipcase (on the FSD forum) here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340249
The slipcases being paper or fabric bound means the varnish will be absorbed by the respective fibres.
