3 Tips to Restore a Book That Has Water Damage

A book with water damage requires different treatment depending on how wet it is. Follow these tips for restoring a book with water damage.

Soaking Wet Books

A book that has been freshly pulled out of the water should be set up on its spine between 2 bookends and on top of a towel. Place paper towels in between the covers and the first and final page. Turn on an oscillating fan, but keep it far enough from the book so that the pages or paper towels are not moving at all. A air purifier would be a better choice since it removes mold spores from the air and blows air with gentler force. Check every hour or so to change out the towels and flip the book around to the other end.

Damp Pages

For a damp book, pages should begin to be treated so that they don't stick together. Dry out pages by placing paper towels every 20 pages or so, or by setting on its spine and fanning out the pages wide. Continue to run a fan or air purifer. Change out paper towels every hour.

Drying the Covers

Once the pages have completely dried, and only the covers are damp, place a paper towel in between the front cover and first page and back cover and final page. Lay on its side and place a heavy object with a flat bottom on top of the book like a glass bowl, piggy bank or brick.