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How to Dry Wet Textbooks

Textbooks, as any college student knows, cost an arm and a leg -- or a whole lot of student loan money. So when your roommate spills a non-alcoholic beverage on your organic chemistry book, it's best to try and fix the problem at home. There are a few ways to dry books, depending on how wet the textbook is, but if it is beyond the point of air drying, you should follow these steps.

Things You'll Need

  • Fan
  • Absorbent paper towels
  • Bookends (optional)
  • Light weight
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the wet book in a dry, cool place. Run a fan in the room to keep the air moving.

    • 2

      Place absorbent paper towels under the book and stand the book vertically with the covers slightly open. If the book cannot support itself, use bookends to keep it upright.

    • 3

      Position the absorbent paper towels between the front and back covers and the first and last pages of the textbook.

    • 4

      Change the absorbent paper towels that you have used for new pieces of absorbent paper towels as soon as they are full of water. Turn the book over, alternating standing it vertically right-side up or upside-down, each time you change the absorbent paper towels.

    • 5

      Lay the textbook flat and interweave absorbent paper towels between every 20 pages when the book partially dries from Steps 1 to 4. Change the absorbent paper towels when they fill with water, as you did previously.

    • 6

      Stand the book vertically and fan the pages open after repeating Step 5 until the book is only damp. Position the fan so that the air circulates into the textbook. Let the fan blow into the textbook until it is almost dry.

    • 7

      Lay the book flat. Place absorbent paper towels between the covers again.

    • 8

      Place a light weight on top of the textbook and leave it in place until the book is completely dry.

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