Whether you accidentally spilled your evening tea over your favorite book or you were reading in the bath and the book slipped from your fingers, books unfortunately suffer water damage when they get wet. It sucks to see your book get soaked, but you can use a freezer or hair dryer, dab it or let it air dry to make it look (almost) like new again.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Blotting a damp book
Step 1. Shake off the excess water from the book
It is best to dab on a book that has not become completely wet. If you spill anything on your book or if your book has fallen into a puddle, pick it up by the spine and shake any remaining water from the pages and spine using gentle sideways motions. If you do this method carefully, you can ensure that the ink fades as little as possible and the pages wrinkle as little as possible.
Step 2. Remove all dirt
Carefully remove any dirt left behind by the water. It could be soaked leaves from a puddle or a candy wrapper from a fountain. Either way, remove the dirt to avoid further damaging the paper you're drying.
- To remove dirt from a damp book, use your fingers or tweezers.
- To remove dirt from a soaked book, fill a large container with clean, fresh water and gently dip the book into the water. Take the book out slowly. This way you can remove all the dirt from the book without damaging the already wet pages.
Step 3. Gently apply pressure with a clean white towel
Gently blot all pages with a clean white cloth or paper towel. Moving the cloth back and forth can tear the wet pages. Pat the pages gently and gently before starting the next page.
If the pages are only slightly damp, you can put cloths between all pages. However, if the pages are soaked, pat pages that are together as a single page
Step 4. Take the front and back of the book and dab them
When it comes to the cover of a paperback, dabbing is safest, as you still run the risk of tearing the paper. You can remove a book with a hard cover, although you have to do this lightly and carefully. Because the cover is more durable and stronger than the pages of the book, you don't have to dry it so quickly.
Don't forget to treat the cover. When you're done drying, make sure you dry the cover thoroughly. If water remains on the cover, the binding can be damaged and mold can grow in it
Method 2 of 4: Using the freeze-drying method
Step 1. Remove the excess water from the book
If the book is really soaked, remove the water by standing the book upright on an absorbent sheet of paper or a towel. Let the water run out and drip out. If the paper or fabric has become soaked, lay down a new sheet of paper or cloth. If the book is just damp, you can shake it back and forth.
Step 2. See if there is still water in the book
If the pages are still very wet, you have not drained the water properly. Set the book upright again and tuck absorbent paper behind the front and back of the book. This helps to speed up the drying process and keep the spine of the book intact.
Do not use absorbent paper (kitchen paper, newsprint, etc.) with letters or patterns, as they may stain the book
Step 3. Place the book in a sealed plastic bag
Place the damaged book in a plastic bag and seal it. However, do not pack the book airtight, but make sure that some air can get to the pages of the book and that there is some space between the bag and the book itself. A regular freezer bag will work just fine.
Step 4. Put the book in the freezer
Place the book on its back in the freezer. If possible, keep all food away from the book and use a separate shelf for the book to allow air to circulate around the book.
Step 5. Check the book after 1-2 weeks
This method takes quite a while to work, so keep the book in the freezer for 1-2 weeks, depending on how thick it is. A thicker book will take longer in the freezer, while a thinner book may dry in just 4-5 days. If the book is still lumpy and full of water, leave it in the freezer for a few more days and then take it out.
If you do this method correctly, the pages will not tear and the ink will not run
Method 3 of 4: Drying your book with a fan
Step 1. Remove the excess water from the book
This method works best for books whose pages are only partially damp. You will not be able to dry thoroughly wet pages with a fan. Remove the excess water from the book by shaking or dabbing.
Step 2. Open the book at a 90 degree angle
Set the book upright, open the cover at a 90-degree angle, and fan the pages. Try to fan out the pages as thoroughly as possible so that the air can flow past them as best as possible.
Of course you want the pages to fan out, but don't tear wet pages apart. Pulling wet pages apart can tear them and cause the ink to bleed
Step 3. Place the book near a fan
Place the book under a ceiling fan or in front of a table fan and set the fan to a medium setting. With a low setting, the airflow is not strong enough, while a high setting can cause the pages to fold and crumple. If your fan doesn't have a medium setting, set it to the lowest setting.
Step 4. Place a heavy object on top of the closed book to compress wrinkled pages
Use a paperweight, a large rock, or even a large book to compress the dried pages of the dense book. Leave the book like this for 24-48 hours. This will help smooth out any remaining creases in the pages.
- Make sure the binding is straight before placing a heavy object on top of the book. If the binding and cover are not exactly in the middle, you can cause permanent damage to the binding.
- Fan-drying the book won't prevent the pages from wrinkling, but placing a heavy object on the cover will minimize the amount of wrinkling in the pages and minimize stretching..
Method 4 of 4: Drying with a blow dryer
Step 1. Drain any remaining water from the book
Using a hair dryer is another method that is more suitable for damp books, but can also be used to dry soaked books. Before you can use a hair dryer to dry the book, you will need to remove the excess water from the book. If the book stays wet, the binding can be damaged, mold can grow in the book and the pages can discolour.
Step 2. Set the book upright with an absorbent cloth under the pages
The book lies in an ideal way to dry the pages with a hair dryer. Hold the book in place by placing your hand along the spine.
Step 3. Hold a hair dryer at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from the book
Keep a blow dryer six inches from the book to avoid heat damage, just like you do when blow drying your hair. Use the cold or warm setting and let the air blow over all the pages until they no longer feel wet or only slightly damp.
Using a high setting can quickly damage the pages and run the risk of burning them. Touch the pages as you run the blow dryer over them so they don't get hot. If the pages feel hot, start a new section and wait until the pages in question have cooled down
Step 4. Cover several pages at a time
Treat a few pages at a time, starting at the binding and moving the blow dryer down toward the edge of the page. Blow dry several pages at a time and start a new section when the pages are dry.
- Do not dry the pages from the side, because you will definitely skip some spots. This can also cause the paper to become brittle and wavy.
- Drying the book quickly can cause the pages to wrinkle and stretch. This is the fastest method, but also the method that can do the most damage to the book.
Tips
- If you borrowed the book from a library or other agency, contact the agency to find out what to do. Some agencies have a specific protocol that must be followed if a book is damaged. It is possible that according to that protocol, the damage itself is repaired.
- If the book is only slightly damp, you don't have to bother with the above steps. Instead, place both covers of the book between two tables, books or other surfaces and let the damp pages hang freely between the objects in question for several hours.
Warnings
- The above methods will help you get the water out of the pages of your book, but don't expect your book to look like new again.
- Don't put your book in the microwave. You run the risk of the pages catching fire and damaging the glue and binding.
- All drying methods may slightly yellow, wrinkle and discolor the book.
- If the book has come into contact with sewage, put it in a plastic bag and contact the municipality to find out the best way to dispose of it. Don't try to save books that have been exposed to sewage and sewage.