Restaining/ Repairing stained or silverfish/moth eaten cloth cover HBacks

Good Day all,
Does anyone know how, or if possible, it is to re-stain a cloth covered hardback?
I have thought of using Acrylic Paint to at least try but have not done so yet.
The other idea was to use a filler like a thin liquid casein glue to fill the holes somewhat...and lightly sand or rub afterwards (with a burnisher used for gold leaf) but again I have been busy and have not done so..
I would like to restore them as well as I can and have about 20 books that need some TLC...
Any suggestions?

In the 1990s I managed a bookstore and the owner gathered a selection of different colors of short glass jars containing a cream shoe polish. These could be used to cover up small problems with books. It was applied with a cloth and excess rubbed off after it had a chance to dry in the problem area.

Some damage can't be remedied but can be made more presentable.

James

>2 Keeline: I tried brown shoe polish on an old book that did not matter toomuch, and it worked a treat... it did not fill in some parts but overall was like cleaning ones shoes to a much more presentable finish... thank u..

>2 Keeline: OMG!!! I am speechless. Shoe polish is for shoes, not books. Egad.

>2 Keeline: Thank you James 🤙

I picked up a free but very nice art book from 1961 Braque The Taste of Our Times. It once had a slipcase that is long gone. The boards are covered in sturdy patterned cloth which would be white if it weren’t so dirty. What can I use to get out the stains/dirt? I’ve had it suggested to use peroxide and baking soda with a soft toothbrush but I’m hesitant. Suggestions?

>6 varielle: Just as for teeth, brushing with peroxide or baking powder is fairly harsh treatment.

>6 varielle: Try white bread first. Then there is a very soft putty-like eraser you can find at an art supply store.
(Remember Silly Putty?)

Thank you Wonder and Martha.

Anytime, Rie.

>7 MarthaJeanne: I wouldn't recommend using hydrogen peroxide indiscriminately, but it can do the job in some circumstances. I would hesitate to use it on cloth, but on plain, white paper it does remove spot stains nicely w/o apparent damage to the substrate. See this post.

On cloth and colored paper, I think you might run the risk of affecting the dyes used. I would test it first!

>6 varielle: Here are 2 non-invasive methods...

Plastic eraser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d399AFqTzVY
Book repair knife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jypfj4j932A

>13 mr.philistine: I dunno. Looks to me like scraping with a knife will remove more than dirt...

I ended up using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It’s not perfect but it does look a lot better.