Moisture can be very damaging to books: if you don't take action in time, it can cause the pages to tear and stick together, and mold may even grow in them. Thankfully, librarians and archivists have developed several useful techniques for drying wet books and minimizing damage. Whether your book is completely soggy, moderately wet or only slightly damp, you can, with care and patience, dry it and put it back in top condition in a few days or weeks. Read on to learn more.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Dry Totally Soaked Books
Step 1. With a cloth, remove excess water from the book
When it comes to drying a damp book, the exact steps to take vary based on the amount of moisture the book absorbs. If the book is completely soggy, to the point of dripping, the first thing you need to do is carefully remove all excess water from the outside of the book. Keep it closed and shake it gently to remove any external liquid. Then gently wipe the outside of the cover with a rag or paper towel.
Don't open the book for now. If it is dripping, the pages are likely to be so fragile that they tear easily. At this point, just remove the moisture that is outside the volume
Step 2. Spread out some paper towels
Spread a few sheets of white (non-colored) blotting paper on a clean, dry counter. Choose a place where the book can dry without being touched.
- If you live in a dry climate, you can leave the book outside. In any case, regardless of where you live, you shouldn't leave it outside overnight, because the dew that forms in the morning can easily frustrate any progress.
- If you don't have a white paper towel handy, wet cloths are fine too. Do not use colored paper towels, as when moistened they can release some color.
Step 3. Place the book vertically
Take the wet book and place it on the paper towels so that it stands upright. With hardcover books, this should be easy. Just open the cover slightly (without separating the pages from each other) until the book manages to balance itself. In the case of the economic editions, the operation can be more difficult. While it dries, it is best that the book does not go limp; so, if needed, use bookends or weights to keep him standing.
Step 4. Put some paper towels inside the cover
Take two paper tissues (or, if you have none at hand, two thin, dry cloths) to slip them between the cover and the first and last page.
During this operation, do not touch the pages. The text block should essentially remain a single, large "mass". Flipping pages at this point can cause them to wrinkle or warp when dry
Step 5. Let the book rest
When you have all the paper towels in place, just leave the book standing. The absorbent material of the paper tissues should quickly begin to absorb moisture from the book.
If you want, you can put one or more dry sponges under the paper towels on which the book is resting, to facilitate absorption
Step 6. Change the paper tissues when needed
Approximately every hour, check how drying is progressing. As they absorb moisture from the book, the paper towels become soaked and are no longer able to hold any more liquid. When you notice that any of the tissues are soaked, carefully remove them and replace them with a fresh, dry one. If you are using a sponge, wring it out and put it back in its place under the paper towels.
- Don't forget to keep an eye on the book. If you let the moisture settle, mold can start growing on wet paper within 24 to 48 hours.
- Continue like this until the book stops dripping or puddling when you lift it. Then you can proceed to the next step.
Method 2 of 4: Dry Rather Dampy Books
Step 1. Place paper towels every 20-30 pages
If the book is not dripping (or it was, but has now partially dried), turning the pages carefully and gently, without tearing them, should not pose any risk. Open the book and leaf through it carefully, placing sheets of blotting paper every 20 or 30 pages. In addition, put some also between the cover and the first and last page.
Pay attention to the number of paper towels you place in the book like this: if you put too many, you run the risk of curving the spine of the book backwards and, if it dries in this position, deforming it. If this becomes a problem, you may want to thin out the paper tissues
Step 2. Leave the book on its side
After you are done inserting the paper towels between the pages of the book, lay it on its side to dry, instead of leaving it standing. The blotting paper sheets should begin to drain the moisture from the inside of the book. This process may take some time, so please be patient.
To speed up the process, make sure the book is in a place where dry air flows continuously. If you live in a humid climate, a dehumidifier can be of great help. Otherwise, it should usually be enough to turn on a fan or open a few windows
Step 3. When needed, replace the paper tissues
As above, it is best that you check it regularly while the book dries. When you notice that the paper towels are getting soaked with liquid, carefully remove them and insert new ones every 20 or 30 pages. To make sure the book dries evenly, try not to insert paper tissues between the same pages all the time.
Whenever you replace the paper towels, turn the book over. This helps prevent pages from warping and wrinkling as they dry
Step 4. As the book dries, allow it to hold its shape
As they dry, the paper and cardboard harden and stiffen. This means that if the book has any wrinkles, once dry it will remain permanently deformed. To avoid this, have it hold its shape as it dries. If the book resists your attempts to straighten it, use heavy bookends or weights to keep the edges in place.
Eventually, the book will dry to the point where the paper tissues will stop soaking and will only be damp. At this point, it's time to proceed to the next step
Method 3 of 4: Dry Slightly Moist Books
Step 1. Stand the book up and open it
Start drying it by making it stand upright. As noted earlier, if you convert to a hardback edition it is easy, but in the case of a cheap one, it can be difficult. If necessary, you can use weights or bookends to keep it standing. Open the book slightly, without exceeding an angle of 60or. Before proceeding any further, make sure it is well balanced and there is no risk of falling.
Step 2. Fan the pages
Without the cover exceeding an angle of 60or, gently fanned the pages of the book. Try to arrange the pages so that there is a small gap between most (if not all) of them. Pages should be able to stand roughly straight, with no corner bending diagonally or falling limp against adjacent pages.
Step 3. Circulate dry air around the room
When the pages are fanned evenly, allow the book to dry in an upright position. To speed up drying, make sure that a certain amount of dry air circulates freely throughout the room. Use a fan or create a draft by opening a few windows, otherwise if the ambient air is rather humid, make it drier using a dehumidifier.
- If you use a fan or natural breeze, look carefully at the edges of the pages. The movement of the air should not cause the pages to flutter or flap, as it may cause them to wrinkle and "swell" as they dry.
- Be patient. It can take days, or even a week (or more) for the book to dry completely. Check it frequently to get an idea of the speed of progress it is making.
Step 4. Once dry, place a weight on top of the book to flatten it
Eventually, after you patiently left it to dry, there should be no more moisture left between the pages. However, even if you followed the instructions very carefully, it is likely that the book, once dried, will not be perfectly flat. The paper used for most books is quite brittle, and as the book dries it can easily warp and warp, leaving it looking crumpled or wrinkled when it has finally dried. Fortunately, the problem can be solved to some extent. Unfold the book dry and put a heavy weight on it (large textbooks are great for this purpose) and let it rest for several days or a week. This operation can considerably reduce the wrinkling effect caused by drying, although it may not completely eliminate it.
To avoid warping the book, make sure that while it lies flat under the weight, the edges are perfectly straight. Do not let the weight be placed in such a way as to bend the book or force the edges of the pages to curve diagonally
Step 5. Hang the small paperback books on a fishing line
While the above methods should work well with most books, a slightly less demanding shortcut can be followed to dry small, thin budget editions than the fan-spread method described above. If your paperback edition is very wet, dry it as you normally would, following the methods described above, until it reaches the point where it is only damp (i.e. when the paper tissues inserted between the pages no longer become soaked in moisture). At this point, spread a fishing line, a thin line or a piece of string between two vertical surfaces, and hang the book on it so that it opens downwards. If you are indoors, circulate the air with a fan or use a dehumidifier. The book should be dry within a few days.
- As noted earlier, if you hang the budget edition outdoors (for example, using a pre-spread line to dry clothes), don't leave it there overnight. The dew that forms in the morning can dampen the book.
- Do not hang very wet cheap editions. Since moisture makes the paper more fragile, the fishing line and thread can tear the book due to its weight if it is too wet.
Method 4 of 4: Dry Coated Paper Books
Step 1. Place separator sheets between each wet page
When you wet books with glossy, glossy paper pages (like many magazines and art books), the need for intervention becomes a little more urgent than that required for ordinary books. Moisture can melt the sheen of the pages, turning it into a sticky substance that can stick the pages together permanently if allowed to dry. To avoid this, immediately separate the wet pages from each other by placing sheets of parchment paper between each single pair of wet pages. When they are wet, remove the sheets and replace them.
- It is important to put a separator sheet between each wet page. If you allow two pages to stay in contact while they dry, they can stick together to the point that not even a professional can fix it.
- If you don't have parchment paper on hand, plain paper handkerchiefs will work as well, as long as they are replaced frequently.
Step 2. When the pages are damp, remove the sheets and fan the book to dry
When the pages of the book have dried to just a little damp, remove the separator sheets and set the book on its feet. If you are unable to bear your own weight, use two bookends or heavy objects. Fan the pages to an angle of no more than 60or. Leave the book to dry in this position.
As above, you need to make sure that there is enough air around the book: if you can, use a fan or open a window to create a draft. As noted earlier, dehumidifiers can be useful, especially in a humid environment
Step 3. Check the book frequently to avoid sticking
Even if the pages are now only damp and no longer wet, they still run the risk of sticking together. To avoid this, check the book frequently as it dries (roughly every half hour if you can). Browse the pages carefully. If you notice that they are starting to stick together, separate them and let the book continue to dry. Eventually, it should dry out completely. It may be inevitable that, in some cases, the pages stick slightly together, especially at the corners.
As above, if you are using a fan, it is best for the pages not to flutter, which can cause a wrinkled or wrinkled appearance once the book has dried
Step 4. If you are short on time, freeze the book
If you have a wet volume with coated paper pages in your hands and you don't have the time or materials to separate them, don't put it aside. Instead, slip it into a plastic freezer bag, close it, and place it in the freezer (the colder, the better). Freezing the book won't dry it, but it will help prevent damage by giving you time to get everything you can to dry it properly.
Before putting the book in the freezer, don't forget to put it in a freezer bag. This will prevent it from sticking to the freezer or other items inside
Step 5. Let the book thaw gradually
If you are ready to try to dry the frozen book, take it out of the freezer, but leave it in the bag and put it in a place at room temperature. Let it gradually thaw in the bag - it can take a few hours or several days, depending on the size of the book and how wet it is. When the ice has completely melted, remove the book from the bag and dry it as described above.
After the book has thawed, do not leave it in the envelope. Leaving it in a humid, confined space stimulates mold growth
Advice
- If you go to the pool, don't take all the books from your library with you. Instead, pick just one book and put it in a large, zip-lock plastic bag. Make sure you've dried completely before reading it.
- Don't read books in the bathtub.
- Don't drink or eat anything while reading a book.
Warnings
- Use the hair dryer at a safe distance from the book so that it does not catch fire.
- Even if you dry a book by following all the precautions, there may still be the possibility of having to replace it. As mentioned earlier, it depends on the extent of the damage the water has caused.
