Disintegrating Unpleasant Book Odor

Books can pick up unpleasant odors. The longer that a book is stored around something that smells the stronger the odor will become. It may be difficult to diffuse the book odor once it has attached itself. One of the things that you may try is to air out the book. You might leave it by an open window so that it will get some fresh air. Opening the book and letting the wind blow through the pages may hasten the process. Or you can turn the pages every now and then if the pages have gone stale and aren’t moving on their own. If airing out the book doesn’t work since some odors are very contrary you can try the following to see if it helps.

• 1. Still using air as a source to quench the lingering odors a blow dryer may shoot out a fiery blast of clean. A regular blow dryer won’t likely be fruitful but an ionic blow dryer may scorch strong odors. Some people don’t like the smell that an ionic blow dryer makes and if that’s the case you may be exchanging an odor for another odor. But hopefully the ionic blow dryer will leave the book with an odor that is at least tolerable. Hold the blow dryer at least a hands length away from the book. Remember that paper can catch fire. If the book starts to feel too hot turn off the blow dryer.

• 2. Placing a book in front of an air purifier may pull in odors and send fresh air to engulf the book. Air purifiers can only purify the air in a limited space. If an air purifier says it is made for a small bathroom then placing it in a large room can make it seem like the air purifier is doing nothing. A book that needs its odor removed or neutralized will need to fit into the space limits of an air purifier. If the air purifier cleans a small room then the book needs to be in the small room in proximity close to the air purifier to insure that it receives an adequate amount of clean air.

• 3. Dried flowers or herbs placed between the pages of a book may help to soften the futile odors. This is a practice that has long served as a decorative art where flowers and herbs are used as bookmarkers. These natural and beautiful bookmarkers, though, have fragrance. The fragrance may die down during the drying process or seem to be illusive but they may stick around for a while. Dried lavender for instance, has a lasting scent. Even after the lavender plant has died you can still smell it.