Soot and odour removal after a fire

Reni Teygeler <rene.teygeler [at] wxs__nl> writes

>Does anyone have any experience in removing soot and the pungent
>odour from monographs after they have been recovered from a fire?

I have worked on fire-damaged books, and for soot-removal I used a
latex "wonder sponge" made by Gonzo Corp.
<URL:http://www.gonzocorp.com>.  It was a couple of years after the
fire, but the sponges did a great job.  They are very gentle and can
be cut into shapes (eg. small wedges) to clean those hard to reach
spots.  The Gonzo web site also advertises "odor eliminators" I have
not used those products so I cannot comment on their effectiveness.
These sponges are also sold through the University Products
catalogue as "dry cleaning sponges", I think. Good luck,

Eliza Gilligan
Book Conservator
Preservation and Exhibition Services Department
Smithsonian Institution Libraries
SISC Rm 2H7
Washington, DC 20560-0806
202-357-1486
Fax: 202-357-1775


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:12
                 Distributed: Tuesday, August 20, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-16-12-006
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