I finally came out of lurkdom and have a question I hope someone can help me with. I recently inherited some old hardcover books that I know have had mice and who knows what else on them (shudder). How can I sanitize these and yet keep them nice. Thanks
MsD

Welcome and congrads on comming out of "lurkdom".
As for your books. I would make a solution of bleach and water(not too much bleach) and use a rag that you wring out almost dry to wipe down the covers of the books,then use an attachment on your vacume cleaner to vacume out the pages of the books. Then if you still feel that they are not clean,you could put them out in the sun on a dry day for a few hours.That should take care of your problem. Another way to go would be to go to your local libary(sp) and ask them for help or find a book store that deals with antique or old books and ask them for help.
HTH,
msmarymac

quote:

How can I sanitize these and yet keep them nice.

Water, humidity and sunlight ruins paper products. You can vaccuum closed books 0 very carefully! If you want to maintain their historical value and intreg, check with a professional

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tessa89,

I sell used, rare and out-of-print books, but I am not a professional restorer, though I've repaired and cleaned many thousands of old books.

You can't really "sanitize" these books yourself. I use a soft dry cotton cloth and if necessary, a barely damp cloth as a basic cleaning method.

Bleach will ruin the finish and accelerate any deterioration, sunlight is extremely damaging on old paper, and even a barely damp cloth is not good for the item.

A white Staedler eraser is fantastic for removing pencil marks gently, too.

But we do the best we can to brush away any obvious dirt or other surface deposits and accept the item for what it is: a vintage paper product that probably isn't extremely sanitary.

BTW, wear gloves when you handle these books, you skin oil is also damaging to them.

if you have a cold sunroom or attic keep them in over nite to get rid of smell, you can also put them in a bag of mothballs for a day.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm sorry I am so slow in replying. I guess I knew that wiping with a barely damp rag was the safest - just hoped someone had come up with something better. Thanks again.
MsD

quote:

I guess I knew that wiping with a barely damp rag was the safest

Please, do not use a damp anything!
If the books are valuable, Contact your local state library. museum, or an antique book dealer for advice.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tessa89,