How to remove the musty smell from old books

The first thing to understand is that what you smell is mold. Just like food kept too long in the fridge, books kept in enclosed or damp spaces will begin to grow mold. Spraying any liquid on a book is likely to damage the surface. Also using newspaper or dryer sheets can leave marks on the pages. There are some gas products out there which are supposed to kill mold, but as most, although not all, of these gases are toxic here are a few inexpensive ideas for tackling just the smell:


1.To obtain Kitty litter smell. In a large container with a lid, put some kitty litter. Then put the book(s) you wish to de-smell in a smaller lidless container. Put the smaller container inside the larger container and cover. Make sure the books do not touch the kitty litter and leave for a couple of days or longer as need.

2.To get cedar wood shavings smell. Put the books in enclosed container and sprinkle the wood shavings around them. After a few weeks the books should have lost that musty smell.

3.For a fresh baking powder smell. Sprinkle baking powder in between several pages and set the opened book out in a sunny and DRY! place for a few days.

4. The Perfume sachet smell. Put books in a plastic sack or container with lid and add sachet. Leave for a week or so and you will have fresh smelling books that you can use instead of potpourri, especially for those books you leave in the bathroom…

5. The clothes pin no-smell! This method, unlike the previous ones, provides you with instant book satisfaction. Take a clothes pin and place it on your nose as tight as possible. Then using a pair of cheap cloth or latex gloves, read your book. Not only does this completely remove the smell from your nose, also you don’t have to worry about those bugs that live in books.