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GA Comics Smell of Mildew

Started by CycleGirl,

26 posts in this topic

CycleGirl

CycleGirl

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I'm not sure if it's acid, mold or mildew. I think mold, because it's pretty irritating to the nose. Makes me want to sneeze.

 

The books are from about 1950. The pages are OW and not brittle at all. Is there anything that can be done to reduce or eliminate the smell?

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Hero Restoration

Hero Restoration

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Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week. A extreme solution is to have the book washed but then it would be considered restored.

 

If it is mold then you sould see mold spots on it somewhere in which case I would think washing would be it's only hope.

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evil-mojo

evil-mojo

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Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week. A extreme solution is to have the book washed but then it would be considered restored.

 

If it is mold then you sould see mold spots on it somewhere in which case I would think washing would be it's only hope.

 

Interesting. Will that trick work with acidic or smokey odor?

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CycleGirl

CycleGirl

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Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week. A extreme solution is to have the book washed but then it would be considered restored.

 

If it is mold then you sould see mold spots on it somewhere in which case I would think washing would be it's only hope.

 

Kitty Litter. Very interesting! I had been thinking of sprinkling the pages with baking soda and putting in a sealed container... No one suggested it, it was just an idea that I had thinking that any organisms would be acid-loving (since paper creates an acide as it breaks down) and a basic environment neutralize it. However, baking soda might be too strong.

 

I'll try the Kitty Litter. Thanks!

 

 

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Hero Restoration

Hero Restoration

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Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week. A extreme solution is to have the book washed but then it would be considered restored.

 

If it is mold then you sould see mold spots on it somewhere in which case I would think washing would be it's only hope.

 

Interesting. Will that trick work with acidic or smokey odor?

 

It doesn't hurt to try, just lay it on it don't burry it. I have only tried it once on a musty odor and it worked so I am 1 for 1. So far every other book that smelled was getting washed anyways. ;)

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evil-mojo

evil-mojo

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Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week. A extreme solution is to have the book washed but then it would be considered restored.

 

If it is mold then you sould see mold spots on it somewhere in which case I would think washing would be it's only hope.

 

Interesting. Will that trick work with acidic or smokey odor?

 

It doesn't hurt to try, just lay it on it don't burry it. I have only tried it once on a musty odor and it worked so I am 1 for 1. So far every other book that smelled was getting washed anyways. ;)

 

I think I may try that. I have this one book that smells so smokey it actually stinks up the whole short box - must be cigar smoke or something. I want to get rid of it, but I'm afraid to sell it to someone even with disclosure.

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evil-mojo

evil-mojo

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I've had decent success with putting books with smoke smell in ziplock with a dish of baking soda and changing it out after a day or two. After two or three changes the smell was significantly eliminated.

 

Hmmm. I think I'll try that first since I have baking soda on hand. I wonder if there's a product here? A small box with ridges to hold 5 or 6 comics vertically coupled with a carbon filter and a computer fan? I wonder what the mechanism at work is here. Seems like various ways to help the book completely outgass versus neutralizing the contaminant source. Got me thinking.

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JazzMan

JazzMan

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Or you can soak it in bleach for about a day and let dry in the sun. The smell goes away completely, you have no more worries about mold or any nasty stuff and it makes the books easier to store. Here's a picture of a book I personally did. Not a whiff of mold left.

 

wood-ashes-00.jpg

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Hero Restoration

Hero Restoration

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Or you can soak it in bleach for about a day and let dry in the sun. The smell goes away completely, you have no more worries about mold or any nasty stuff and it makes the books easier to store. Here's a picture of a book I personally did. Not a whiff of mold left.

 

wood-ashes-00.jpg

 

:roflmao:

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Ze-man

Ze-man

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Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week.

 

Honestly Mike, I think you need to be more careful when you say stuff like this. Next thing you know there will be a thread asking how to remove the cloying scent of certain kitty litters from their comics. Be a little more specific about which kind you used, and why. I assume you used charcoal or carbon based plain litter to absorb odors?

 

Or better yet recommend a product specifically designed to remove odors.

 

Not sure why the entire link won't work, but here is the url if people want to copy/paste it.

 

http://www.universityproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_list&c=1630&primary=1&parentId=&navTree[]=1257&navTree[]=1343&navTree[]=1630

 

 

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Hero Restoration

Hero Restoration

Posted
Posted
Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week.

 

Honestly Mike, I think you need to be more careful when you say stuff like this. Next thing you know there will be a thread asking how to remove the cloying scent of certain kitty litters from their comics. Be a little more specific about which kind you used, and why. I assume you used charcoal or carbon based plain litter to adsorb odors?

 

Or better yet recommend a product specifically designed to remove odors.

 

Not sure why the entire link won't work, but here is the url if people want to copy/paste it.

 

http://www.universityproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_list&c=1630&primary=1&parentId=&navTree[]=1257&navTree[]=1343&navTree[]=1630

 

 

Just trying to help Kenny, Sorry for the quick redneck version of my advice. I didn't know about the product you just linked and will recommend to use it in future replies and is now on my to buy list. ;)

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CycleGirl

CycleGirl

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Or you can soak it in bleach for about a day and let dry in the sun. The smell goes away completely, you have no more worries about mold or any nasty stuff and it makes the books easier to store. Here's a picture of a book I personally did. Not a whiff of mold left.

 

wood-ashes-00.jpg

 

 

lol

 

You know, I also read that vinegar works well, as does baking soda. I was thinking that putting the two together would work twice as well!! :idea:

 

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CycleGirl

CycleGirl

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Yes, there are several options and it depends on what is causing the smell. One trick is to fill a container with kitty litter and set the book on top of it for a week with the lid closed, flip it and let it set in there another week. A extreme solution is to have the book washed but then it would be considered restored.

 

If it is mold then you sould see mold spots on it somewhere in which case I would think washing would be it's only hope.

 

Seriously, thanks, Mike.

 

As hokey as it sounds, the science makes perfect sense. I did some research about how kitty litter works. Most odors are caused by ions. Kitty litter is mostly clay and clay binds with ions as does charcoal, baking soda, etc.

 

Anyway, I am an engineer and can't resist an experiment. I went out and bought unscented clay non-clumping kitty litter with charcoal. I'll report the results on this thread.

 

No disrespect intended to Kenny. I'm sure that the commercial paper deodorizer is effective but I was overwhelmed with curiosity about the potential effectiveness of the $0.30 / lb solution compared to the $15 / lb solution. I'll let you know.

 

 

bv_kittylitter.jpg

 

kitty.jpg

 

My cat, so far, is unimpressed.

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divad

divad

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I've had decent success with putting books with smoke smell in ziplock with a dish of baking soda and changing it out after a day or two. After two or three changes the smell was significantly eliminated.

 

I think you need one less word here . . . :grin:

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divad

divad

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I'm not sure if it's acid, mold or mildew. I think mold, because it's pretty irritating to the nose. Makes me want to sneeze.

 

The books are from about 1950. The pages are OW and not brittle at all. Is there anything that can be done to reduce or eliminate the smell?

 

If the odor is indeed fungal in nature, it won't go away. You may be able to temporarily suppress it, however. :)

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CycleGirl

CycleGirl

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I'm not sure if it's acid, mold or mildew. I think mold, because it's pretty irritating to the nose. Makes me want to sneeze.

 

The books are from about 1950. The pages are OW and not brittle at all. Is there anything that can be done to reduce or eliminate the smell?

 

If the odor is indeed fungal in nature, it won't go away. You may be able to temporarily suppress it, however. :)

 

I now suspect that the smell is from the comics being stored in a cedar chest. I know that doesn't sound that bad, but I don't find it all that pleasant.

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