Please note the below tips are not to be used on rare or old books, this is more of a home tip than archiving.
Dirt on the edge of books.
If the edges of your book have some dirt on them there is an easy way to clean it.
Firstly the most important thing is to wait for it to completely dry. Then use some fine grit sandpaper and rub it gently on the sides of the book. This will clean any small marks and will also refresh the pages and keep you book looking clean.
Sticky labels or bum residue
This is an easy fix. You can do this be getting a cotton ball and dipping it into a little baby oil. By gently and continuously dabbing it you will eventually remove an reside gum that has been left behind.
Check for insect damage
If you come across your favorite boom and you see signs of insect damage there is a way to fix this problem. First of all bring the book outside and gently clean the pages with a soft brush. This way you will be sure that you will get rid of any remaining incest's and possible eggs. Then placer your book in a freezer bag with zip lock and place in the freezer for 24 Hours. Then remove and place in the fridge to defrost for another 12 hours. Remove from bag and vacuum the book lightly.
Grease or Oil stains
It is nearly impossible to get rid of them just as it is with ink stains too. Sometimes you can improve the look of it by placing two thick paper towels in between the page and gently iron out the residue so that it is absorbed into the paper towels from the page. This does not always work but it can sometimes improve your damaged page.
Pencils and General marks
Sometimes a book can get general pencil marks or get a little grubby on certain pages over time. You can obviously use a gently eraser to remove the pencil but it can also remove some grubby marks too. It may not lift it all but it will certainly improve the look of it. Sometimes even an eraser can tone down pen marks. But as the pages of a book are so this you have to use the eraser very gently so not to tear the page.
Sanitising a Book
The best way to sanatise a book is actually to put it into quarantine for a minimum of 48 hours. They say that Covid will only last up to 24 Hours on carboard so your 48 should be more than sufficiency before it gets put back into circulation. If your book is protected by the likes of E-Lam laminate products then it would be advised to put the book into quarantine for 72 hours as Covid can live longer on plastics than it can paper and cardboard. To be sure it would be best to put the book inside a bag and keep it closed for the length of quarantining.
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