Old books and documents can get badly damaged by the growth of molds and fungi, especially if they had been stored without proper document drying.
It is not unusual to find an old paper product tucked in some shelf eaten away by these bluish-green blub. Even if paper had not been soaked in water, it can still become the home of many organisms as moisture can be found in the air. If you live in a very humid area or your home is a magnet for trapped water, chances are you'd get moldy paper.
We can recover paper products eaten by mold. Document drying techniques can assist us in this matter. While not a guarantee of complete recovery, it can be a way to arrest and stop damage.
You must employ document drying or any intervention against moldy books. Moldy books are unsightly and can smell really disgusting. If left unattended, it spreads. While only one book is affected today, it can damage surrounding books in a month. Because mold spores are airborne, it can affect other furniture as well. It may also be growing on your shelf not just your books.
The first intervention is to remove the mold. Depending on the amount of damage to the paper, you may need to wash the paper in water first to clean it. This step is important because the wetness in the paper may have already invited germs in. You need to clean the paper first before you proceed with the document drying process.
After washing the material, air it to dry. Place it in a well-ventilated room. Document drying experts vary when it comes to the role of sunlight in document drying. Some experts recommend putting wet paper under the sun to facilitate document drying. Others think the sun would damage the paper. It likely depends on what material the paper is made of. To be on the safer side, ask someone versed in document recovery.
You have the option of hanging pages on a clothesline to dry or setting them on a flat surface like a table or floor. Just make sure that your wet paper will not stick to the surface. Use wax paper to prevent this. And do not use newspapers as a base, for the newsprint will stick to your wet document.
If you have it, document drying will proceed more effectively if you have a dehumidifier in the room. This equipment will regulate the moisture in the air as you dry, facilitating the easy evaporation of water from your paper. You can check your local stores and service providers if one is available for sale or for rent.
And lastly, it is not enough to remove the mold. You would have to kill it and dispose of it properly. Mold is still a health hazard even if dead. When inhaled, it can result in significant respiratory problems.
You also have to decontaminate the area where it was found. You may have saved your book or document from mold but if you return it in a dirty and humid place, chances are the mold will return. To be safe, inspect them regularly.
