A few mouldy paperbacks - chuck 'em?

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A few mouldy paperbacks - chuck 'em?

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1antonomasia
Modifié : Nov 29, 2013, 9:09 pm

I have a few paperbacks which have signs of mould. Nearly all of them were ultra-cheap Fulfilled By Amazon deals. (Though there are a couple of 1960s Le Carre paperback first or second editions in otherwise reasonable condition.) I am not sure these books are worth the expense of buying anything to try and eradicate the mould. The most worrying one, which had shiny patches on the inside cover, just I wiped down with kitchen wipes. This has only spent a matter of hours near newer books - I started reading it almost as soon as it arrived.

Any other advice...?
Should I store the mouldy-looking books in a separate box and chuck them out when I've read them? (Can they go in recycling as they are or do I need to cut the pages away from the spine?)
Is there anything I can do to safeguard the other books? (I was quite careless about storing a couple of the mouldy books among them, assuming it wasn't a problem, though most of the mouldy ones are very recent acquisitions.)
What about books that I'm not sure are mouldy or just grubby? Is there a way to tell?
I might be getting too worried about the other books though! They're probably not all going to end up mouldy soon. Presumably sometimes it's okay...

2lilithcat
Nov 29, 2013, 9:32 pm

Chuck 'em. Mould can spread. Not sure about the recycling; that would probably depend on local guidelines.

Checking Abebooks, the Le Carre books don't seem to be terribly valuable, even in good condition. The mould would likely be a deal killer for any collector.

3abbottthomas
Nov 30, 2013, 4:35 am

Considering the range of sources of waste paper for recycling and the industrial processes the waste undergoes, you won't upset anyone by putting your books in the recycling bin. Of course you won't drop them in a charity book donation bin ;-)

As to the diagnosis of mould, I trust my nose.

4antonomasia
Modifié : Nov 30, 2013, 7:01 am

I'd guess these books probably originated from charity book donation bins. If I put them in one of those, in a few weeks or months they'd probably end up with Fulfilled by Amazon resellers for under £2 yet again - these people don't seem to check the books for mould the way the more independent big resellers must do. I don't think I've ever had a mouldy book from places like World of Books.

I've since noticed what looks like a tiny patch of mould on the outside pages of a paperback I got new over ten years ago :( Maybe it could just be dirt or ink.

TBH this is putting me off keeping and buying books. Which is pretty useful really in terms of expenditure, space and not making a Sisyphean chore of reading all the accumulated books.

I always thought that my paper books would be of future use and value to someone, even if simply to charity shops in the cases of ubiquitous titles a private individual can't make money from selling (whereas ebooks are always completely dead money). But if they go mouldy, and should by rights be thrown away so they don't infect further books, then it throws even that into doubt and they're as ephemeral as magazines and newspapers (which I have hardly bought for years).

5abbottthomas
Nov 30, 2013, 7:37 am

Interesting. I have heard of galloping book mould in humid tropical regions, but you give your location as France, non? Are your books shelved against potentially damp outside walls? If your accommodation is reasonably dry I wouldn't abandon your books just yet.

As to value of orphaned libraries, there was a rather gloomy thread about what to do with your books when you are dead. The general feeling seemed to be that non-specialised book collections were more trouble than they were worth for executors.

Thinking of mould and decay, I have this book - http://www.librarything.com/work/7587362/book/15528148 - which has a note inside warning that a "poisonous insecticidal solution" was used in the binding. Who knows, maybe there are similar fungicidal treatments!

6Nicole_VanK
Nov 30, 2013, 10:39 am

Can't speak for France, but here in Holland I'm confronted with a landlord who has consistently refused to deal with the fact that mould is coming through both the outer walls and the air-shafts in my apartment. Of course I do have to pay full rent :-(

7HarryMacDonald
Nov 30, 2013, 10:52 am

To the original/core question. As Joan wrote in #2, dump 'em. The details, and/or the search for an absolutely perfect solution will prove to be a sucking wound. If you are worried about what happens between your decision-making and your final disposition, find a friend with a wood-stove or a wood-fired furnace and pitch 'em right in. Mould is a big deal, and you are well-advised to keep well ahead of it. Good luck! -- G ("H")

8razzamajazz
Modifié : Nov 30, 2013, 11:13 am

Do not waste your time with molds. They are bacteria. Buy new copies or good, used copies for the titles you have treasured, and want to re- read .

No second thought, I will disposed the mouldy paperbacks in a disposal chute or dust-bin for the garbage disposal truck. I will try to salvage the hardbacks.

I have tried to remove molds from the paperbacks. The tendency, the molds will be re-appeared.

Try to use silica gel pebbles in pre-packed(small packets) or loose form , charcoal bags,or disposable humifiers placed in the cupboards filled with your books. This has been a great help to me, I am living in the humid, tropical country near the Equator.

9.Monkey.
Nov 30, 2013, 11:20 am

>6 Nicole_VanK: Matt, our apartment has similar issues. The back room just breeds mold because this place is so terribly insulated and the back room is completely exposed (unlike the front half which has the walls from the buildings on either side helping), it's miserable!

10antonomasia
Modifié : Nov 30, 2013, 11:37 am

Thanks again.

I've got about ten obviously mouldy books which were all cheap second hand things, and a few others which have one or two grey patches on the external page thickness that could be mould or just grubbiness - they have been moved around a lot. Not sure what to do with those "maybes".
Most of my books are in storage and I can't do anything about them, though nearly all were bought new at least.
The house isn't damp, but at least half the hundred-odd books I have here are in boxes because it's not a permanent place.

I'm loathe to throw out anything I haven't actually read, but have no problem getting rid of the mouldy books once I've finished each one. Unfortunately I don't have a freezer or freexer compartment, otherwise I'd put them in there for the time being.

It would make sense to get something to put in all the boxes to guard against mould spreading among the other books now I've separated the mouldy ones. (When I first posted it didn't seem worth getting anything to save £15 worth of crappy second hand books, but I could try and make sure all the others are okay / do damage limitation.)
Tubs of baking powder? Cat Litter?
ETA: Razmajazz - saw your advice just after I posted. Thanks

11lilithcat
Nov 30, 2013, 11:53 am

> 8

Mold are not bacteria. They're fungi.

12lilithcat
Nov 30, 2013, 11:55 am

> 10

Here's some good, professional advice about dealing with mold: http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/librarypreservation/mee/management/m...

13razzamajazz
Modifié : Nov 30, 2013, 7:30 pm

This article is interesting. Paper molds are hazardous.

http://www.cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v09/bp09-02.html

14antonomasia
Modifié : Déc 1, 2013, 5:42 am

My own experience of the effects is merely "irritating" rather than "hazardous" (others may of course have it worse) - that itchy nose, beginning-of-a-cold feeling whilst reading some older library books when I was younger (probably one of the reasons I haven't tried harder to use public libraries since I was a student, and that I've only rarely bought older second hand books).
One of this batch has provoked that - it hardly even looked mouldy, and one of the mouldier-looking books didn't set it off. Can tolerate it for something under c.250 pages but if longer books are like that they'll probably have to go whether or not I've read them. My third copy of the Gormenghast Trilogy and I still won't have read it!

TBH I think that professional advice isn't really practical / is overkill for a private individual with a few hundred mostly recent paperbacks in ostensibly good nick. Dehumidifying/ drying agent into the boxes makes more sense.

15TLCrawford
Déc 2, 2013, 10:48 am

As I understand the "Jefferson Davis Presidential Library" in Mississippi is very experienced in dealing with mold after Katrina took off their roof. I understand that they could be a good source of information on how to deal with the problem even if their view of history is biased.

16SaintSunniva
Mai 20, 2014, 12:57 am

I just bought a book from an online seller, and it arrived with that telltale moldy smell...and this time I think I've fixed it: I stood it up (a small children's book) with the pages fanned a bit on a cookie sheet in the oven, and turned it on to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. I repeated this treatment 6 hours later, and I am pretty pleased. No odor.

17varielle
Mai 22, 2014, 3:37 pm

A new way of cooking the books. ;)

18SaintSunniva
Mai 22, 2014, 6:10 pm

>17 varielle: lol, I'm glad someone made that joke! Well, as it turns out: no odor at first. Later I gave the book a good sniff at the page seam, and unfortunately, it was still there. Definitely not as strong though.