What to Do When You Damage a Book With Water
A water-damaged book is not always a lost cause. With a little time and patience, you should be able to save it on your own.
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Inspect Carefully
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How long has the book been wet? Books wet longer than a couple days will start mildewing and growing mold. Once that starts, there is little you can do on your own.
Prepare Your Work Space
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You need a flat, hard space like a table. Spread newspaper to protect it and offer a little more absorbency.
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Gather Your Supplies
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You'll need plenty of paper towels and a couple of heavy books or a piece of wood and a brick to work as a press.
Dry
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Stand the book up on its spine and let it air dry until damp. Do not use a hair dryer as it makes the pages brittle. Place paper towels between damp pages. Change papers every few hours until dry. Direct sunlight will yellow pages.
Press
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Press only once completely dry and only if your pages are wavy by placing a stack of heavy books or a board with weights on top.
If the Steps are Unsuccessful
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If you are unable to restore the book on your own, freeze it until you can get it to a professional restorer.
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