Arts >> Books >> Books Other

How to Remove Smells From Old Books

The pages and cover of a book are made of porous materials that, over time, absorb the odors to which they're exposed. Luckily, removing odors from porous materials, such as books, isn't difficult if you can find the right supplies to neutralize or deodorize the smells in your book. If you've recently bought an old book at a garage sale or used bookstore, you can successfully remove smells from your book using supplies found in most homes.

Things You'll Need

  • Large plastic zip bags
  • Cat litter with charcoal
  • Dryer sheets
  • Cookie sheet
  • Oven
Show More

Instructions

    • 1
      By opening the book, you allow the deodorizer or neutralizer to get into the pages.

      Place the book with the pages open in a large plastic zip bag. Lay a paper towel over the pages.

    • 2

      Sprinkle cat litter with charcoal in the bag, over the paper towels, using enough cat litter to create a thick layer on top of the book. Close up the plastic zip bag and allow the charcoal in the cat litter to neutralize the smells in your book. Check progress after 24 hours and, if the odor persists, leave the book sealed in the bag with the cat litter for two more days.

    • 3

      Empty the cat litter out of the bag and dispose of accordingly. Remove your book from the plastic zip bag.

    • 4

      Lay a dryer sheet inside the bottom of a plastic zip bag, then place your smelly book on top of the dryer sheet. Add two or three more dryer sheets and seal up the zip bag, allowing the book to remain in the bag with the dryer sheets for two to three days. Use this method as an alternative to removing the odors from your book with cat litter.

    • 5

      Tackle any remaining smells in your book by laying it on a clean cookie sheet with the pages. Place the cookie sheet and book in an oven preheated to 250 degrees. Turn the oven off and allow the book to remain in the oven, until the oven cools, to remove odors due to mold or mildew.

Books Other

Related Categories