How to get damp smell out of badly stored books?

pug_

Not sure if this is the best place to ask this or not so if anyone wants to move fire ahead.

I have a few books I brought up from my parents house a few weeks ago, problem is they reek of damp, so much so that I don't think I'll be able to read them unless I can get rid of it. I put them beside the radiator since I brought them home in an effort to clear it up, but it hasn't made a blind bit of difference.

Does anyone know if it's possible to get rid of the smell? I don't want to dump them as they are old technical books so hard to replace.

The other thing I'd be slightly worried about is putting them in with the rest of the library. Even if I get rid of the smell I'd be a little worried that a bit of damp might linger and spread to my other books or is this just paranoia on my part?

x_Ellie_x

This is a trick you can use to get the smell out of the books:

First get a dry cloth and wipe off any mildrew or mold on the books. Try to get off as much of it as you can.

Get 2 plastic containers, one that will sit inside the other one (both must be big enough to fit your book into obviously). Pour some baking soda into the bottom of the larger container.

Place your book into the smaller container (don't use the lid of that container), then place the smaller container into the larger one. Place the lid on the larger container. Leave the book here for about 2 weeks.

The baking soda will absorb the odour (and any moisture) from the book. Only do this to one book at a time and replace the baking soda each time.

Keep the books in a dry, cool area. Avoid moist and hot areas. Don't keep them beside the radiator because this will cause the pages to dry out, crumble and fall out.

pug_

Many thanks I'll give that a go this evening.