Feedback sought for article on removing odor from books

Rye Armstrong <rye<-a t->asterpub< . >com> writes

>Subject: Feedback sought for article on removing odor from books
>
>We are doing a short segment on tips to help remove odors from musty
>old books, and I was wondering if I could get some professional
>input as to the following methods' effectiveness. Also, if you have
>any suggestions, they are welcome. I will gladly give anyone
>contribution credit in Biblio Magazine for their submissions.
>
>    Refreshening Old Books
>
>    Prevention: Keep books dry at all times, preferably in a
>    temperature/humidity-controlled environment. Mold and mildew are
>    the principle causes of foul odors.

One sure way to get rid of the "musty" odor is to place CHC
interleaving tissue in the books.  Only a few sheets are necessary.
The CHC chemical is a deacidification agent and is said to smell
like very sweaty old socks (personally I always felt they smelled
fine, but then maybe it's me).  Langwell developed CHC for acidic
books, but some librarians tell me that books with CHC interleaving
(especially rare books) usually are effective in dissuading casual
browsers from even holding a book for more than 10 seconds let alone
opening and potentially damaging the spine.

Niccolo Caldararo

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:30
                Distributed: Monday, September 29, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-30-006
                                  ***