|
Books
Book maintenance
Cleaning book shelves thoroughly and regularly helps control insects and mould growth. It is strongly recommended that you set up a system for cleaning your bookshelves regularly. This should involve removing books from shelves and cleaning behind them—insects, such as silverfish, prefer dark, undisturbed places. If you don't do this regularly, you may not notice an insect or mould problem until there is extensive damage.
Other maintenance procedures that are commonly carried out on books include cleaning individual books and dressing leather bindings. These activities are very important to keep your books in good condition; however, if they are not done properly they can cause damage.
The following sections contain information to assist you with cleaning books and dressing leather bindings.
Handy hints on cleaning books
Books are not always easy to clean. In some cases it is not wise to try to clean them thoroughly, especially if they are in fragile condition. If this is the case, you must approach cleaning with care. If you are not sure whether you should clean a damaged book, consult a conservator.
When cleaning a book, place it on a desk on a clean sheet of paper. By moving the paper around, you can reach all sides of the book easily. This method is easier and safer then trying to hold the book at the same time as you are holding the cleaning tools.
If the book is not fragile and can be cleaned without risk of damage, dust and remove loose dirt from books using gentle brushing combined with suction using a vacuum cleaner. It is vital that you reduce the suction of the vacuum cleaner. You do this by covering the end with one or more layers of a gauze-like material such as fine, Nylon stocking. By reducing the suction you reduce the risk of damage; and the filtering gauze will prevent the loss—into the bowels of the vacuum cleaner—of any loose material which may get picked up by the suction. Sucking dirt away stops it being re-deposited in the book.
You can use a duster on the binding, but extreme care must be exercised. Rubbing with a dustcloth can cause scratching; soft calf-leather is particularly vulnerable. Dusting can also dislodge pieces of degraded leather, cloth or paper. When dusting, remember to keep turning to a clean area of the dustcloth—so as not to re-deposit dirt on the book. Remember also that if you dust without using a vacuum cleaner some of the dust will resettle onto your books.
Brushes can be used for cleaning the outside of books, and for brushing away dirt and dust which have collected inside the textblock. Soft brushes should be used: shaving brushes, sable paint brushes and jewellers and watchmakers' brushes are particularly suitable.
 |
| The text block of a book being cleaned with a soft brush.
Photograph courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales
|
 |
| Dust on the outside of a book being brushed away using a shaving brush.
Photograph courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales
|
| CAUTION: |
| Some manuals recommend cleaning the bindings with damp cloths. If you attempt to do this, be very careful because you can damage the binding.
Degraded leathers absorb water easily, and can remain permanently discoloured where they have been damp.
Some of the sizes and pigments in bookcloths move easily in water, and wiping over with a damp cloth can leave unsightly watermarks on the binding.
Experience and knowledge of the materials are important, as is controlling the amount of water applied and the evenness of the application.
Excess water applied to the outside of a binding can distort the boards, so that they no longer protect the textblock. |
Paper can be cleaned using erasers. Be very careful when doing this—and be aware that not all dirt will be moved by an eraser.
The pressure applied must be kept to a minimum, because the paper fibres on the surface of the paper are always disturbed by such cleaning. You can see this damage clearly under a microscope or a thread counter.
| CAUTION: |
| If it doesn't clean up with slight pressure, STOP—don't rub harder and harder because you'll end up with a tear or a hole in the paper. |
To clean paper with an eraser, make sure it is well supported and then rub in one direction only. Rubbing back and forth increases the risk of buckling, creasing and/or tearing the paper.
You should pay particular attention to removing the eraser particles from the paper, but some particles will inevitably remain. The brush and vacuum method of cleaning described above is very good for removing eraser particles.
| CAUTION: |
| Do not use strong suction or you could cause extreme damage and distort the pages. Remember to reduce the suction with layers of gauze. |
The eraser's quality is also important. Many modern erasers are made from polyvinyl chloride—PVC. This breaks down in the presence of moisture and produces hydrochloric acid which can cause considerable damage. The eraser should be soft and not contain abrasive materials. Staedtler Rasoplast 526 erasers are used widely for cleaning paper.
Leather dressing-a word of caution
Because leather dries out and becomes inflexible, dressing it is a widespread practice. Good-quality leather dressings improve the function and flexibility of leather, while brightening its appearance. But there are problems associated with using leather dressing.
Excessive leather dressing can stain paper, because it is very greasy. So it is important that you don't use too much and that you don't allow it to touch the paper.
Leather dressing can darken degraded leather and should not be applied to cracked or dry leather. These areas should be consolidated first.
Leather dressing can make the surface of the leather sticky, and cause dirt and dust to stick to the leather. This can be avoided by applying the dressing very sparingly and making sure you remove excess dressing by polishing-in much the same way as you do for shoes.
When applying leather dressing, put the dressing onto a soft cloth—such as an old T-shirt—and spread the dressing gently onto the book. Be gentle when polishing away the excess; again use an old T-shirt or similar. If there is any grit in the way, you could easily scratch the leather.
If leather dressing is applied over dirt and dust, they will set in place. Make sure your books are clean before applying dressing.
Leather dressing can get caught in damaged and cracked leather.
Leather dressing can discolour as it ages.
|
