Musty smell in old books and furniture

[JohnD]

I have been given some stuff from an old person. It has a strong musty smell. I have left it to air but it has not improved

Any tips in cleaning this up? I have wiped and hoovered the furniture, but the smell is quite strong inside cupboards, and especially the books.

 

[wotan]

Spray everything with an air freshener?

Wotan

 

[mattylad]

Bicarb of soda may help.

Works in fridges

 

[xerxes]

Onions, cut in half, are very good for absorbing smells in enclosed spaces: it works. And in case anyone quibbles about the smell of onions, it's far better than the smell of air freshener.

I'm not sure what to suggest about the books, apart from giving them a good airing. I use Backus book cloth cleaner to clean clothbound books that are grubby. If the smell is coming from pages that are foxing badly, there's little that can be done economically.

 

[Nige F]

Haven`t got vol 2 of The Book of Days, have you ? I got vol. one on it`s own. c1860 would like it to go to a good home

 

[JohnD]

.... If the smell is coming from pages that are foxing badly, there's little that can be done economically.

Thnaks, I looked up Backus and some other book-restorers treatments

from what you say about Foxing (brown blotches on paper?) the ones I looked at did not have it. Is it a fungus attack or what? Storage room is dry and indoors with trickle ventilation.

After sniffing around, I think the smell probably is coming from the books rather than the furniture. I opened a cupboard in the bookcase and it was very bad.

 

[xerxes]

Foxing of paper is the result of fungal activity, but there is much uncertainty as to its exact causes. I'm sure damp conditions are bound to favour its development, but it has much to do with the quality of the paper used in producing a book, as it is very common to find that the majority of copies of a particular volume are affected, although they have been stored separately in many different locations.

There is a reference here which gives some information. I suggest that if the smell is offensive and the books not worth much, it may be best to get rid of them.


www.abebooks.co.uk is an excellent resource for checking approximate values of books; you have to know a little about what you're doing in order to value books properly, but it should give some idea if what you have is a priceless collection of rarities or a pile of junk.