Any ideas on mold?

[Flightfanatic]

Hello, I recently opened up my safe, and inside a small book from the 1850's that I have, had some yellow and black mold in it... In some spots it is powdery but it sort of smears if I wipe it. Does anyone know how I can safely get rid of the mold!? I don't want to risk spreading it in my safe to the other items that are in it, so I am keeping the book out for now. I had a Desiccant pack, I thought that would take care of the moisture, and I was careful about opening the safe on high humidity days, or rainy days in case of moisture... Does anyone have suggestions how to fix this and get rid of the mold in the book!? Thanks alot for any information, I appreciate it!

I found that vaccuming the paper would work but the paper is really brittle and it would probably ruin it

-Flightfanatic

[wendy177]

Hi Flightfanatic, I have heard of  Some people  using  a vaccum (outside only if no HEPA filter) and vaccum flat paper through a screen to avoid damage.I do not recommend you dealing with this on your own if the book has considerable value. if you're unsure about how to treat an item and it is that old and fragile don't hesitate to consult a conservator or try contacting local collage libraries as many have very knowledgeable archivists that may help.
good luck

[KC]

What is sad flightfanatic, is that by sealing it away in a safe you have possibly done more harm to your book.  It would have most likely fared better up on a shelf, sandwiched between books.  The other books being a buffer and absorber.  Away from direct light.

May I inquire as to the type of book this is?  True publication?  Personal documentation?

A great thing you can do for your book, after halting the mold situation, is to make a book cover for it out of acid free paper to protect the outer cover of it.  You can even make it "envelope style" to encompass the entire book.  This is better than a safe! (That is unless you live where it is like a sauna. - then the safe would still be a bad idea and the outside room would still be a little better.  So many people would put valuables like this in bank safety deposit boxes because the rooms are temperature controlled.)

[Flightfanatic]

Hi, I posted some pictures of it, its a german arbeitbuch, or workbook. From what I understand, it was where the person would log their work times in... As you can see in the pictures, there is dark brown/black mold, and yellow mold, if that helps any...

[Flightfanatic]

Heres some more pics of it... To show the mold areas 

[Flightfanatic]

Sorry for the triple post, I couldnt fit all the pictures in one post

[Skinny]

Bleach, alcohol, and even lysol on a colth will kill mold. UV rays from the sun will as well. This book doesn't look like something that would have much monetary value (as far as I can tell) and looks to be in fairly bad shape as far as dampstaining and general paper condition. I've had some mixed success removing mold from books. Some of yours (pic 00002) is just harmless foxing, which lots of old books have. Others (pic 00019) show actual mold spores, and need to be delt with if possible. My advices would be to clean it up a bit if you can, and let it go if you can't.

[waywardangler]

Foxing is described, illustrated, and removed on this site...http://periodfinebindings.typepad.com/removing_foxing_and_milde/

Humidity allows it to breed.  I agree with KC about taking it and leaving it out of the safe.

[KC]

Flightfanatic, I would recommend that you take it to someone in the know if this book has sentimental value to you.  Always go to a hands-on expert for the real important stuff if it is involved and can possibly damage the item.

Best of luck to you.  Let us know what becomes of this venture!

[regularjoe2]

Welcome to the forum , Flightfanatic .

It sounds like , from your posts , pages/bindings & unseen elements are affected by the malaise .

Being as you asked about a safe way to clean/restore/stop damage on your item , I think that it's a matter of how much , and what parts need repair .
I kinda calculate things like - how much damage & what type , is the item some piece of history I feel prompted to preserve , is it the items' value that I'm trying to preserve , how much damage will restoration cause & so forth - when I see damaged/restorable items .

As I see it , you've got a damaged item now .

It also sounds wise to remove it from your safe ( as well as reconsidering storing humidity-sensitive items in it) .... might be time to bleach out your safe too , for starters .

You can @ least get it (your book) into a better/dryer environment , as others alluded to .

"Big-time" book restoration is not for the impatient , faint of heart (or pocketbook) or the uninitiated to attempt , in this old mans' opinion .

If you're looking to learn , perhaps this rather fragile one is not the one to start on ......but then again ...