Preservation - Drying a wet book

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what to consider

drying wet or damp books requires a lot of space and time to carry out the process. Because this job is slow and laborious, it’s worth spending a little time planning before you begin.

Books should be dried in a separate space that is clean, cool, and dry with plenty of fresh air. freezing can be used as a method of keeping moist material in a stabilized state until it can be treated. If the item has glossy coated art paper, first sandwich each page with absorbent material to prevent the pages from sticking together.

You are reading: How to dry wet books

prepare the workspace

cover the work table with a polyethylene sheet.
materials needed: absorbent material (punched paper towels, blotting paper or newspaper), thin rubber gloves and protective clothing, thin metal spatula or bone folder, polyethylene or polyester pieces as insulation layers, electric fans (pedestal type if possible); narrow strips of acid-free paper or cardstock.

phase 1: very wet books

Wear rubber gloves.
Lift the book out of the water holding it firmly and allow any excess water to run off and drip off the book until all free water has drained. If the books have been in dirty water, they can be rinsed under mild running tap water to remove any mud or loose dirt. do not brush or rub.
proceed to step 2.

stage 2: very wet books

Spread absorbent or blotting paper on the plastic on the work table.
Place books face up on absorbent material, leaning against each other if necessary. do not try to open the pages at this stage.
place the fans and turn them on to create gentle ventilation, not wind. keep fans running continuously during drying process.
change absorbent material on workbench as often as needed to absorb moisture.
remove wet material from area to reduce moisture buildup.
when no more water comes out of the books, continue to stage 3.

stage 3: slightly damp books

when the pages can be safely separated, place the book on an absorbent material, which should still be replaced whenever it becomes wet.
interlace the book pages with more absorbent larger than the item’s page size. work from the back of the book forward, sandwiching a sheet between batches of 20-30 pages at a time. never increase the thickness of a book by more than one-third to avoid damaging the spine.
continue to collate, changing absorbent sheets as they get wet until the interleaves are relatively dry. this may require leaving the intercrops overnight. the item pages should now be fairly dry, but still cool to the touch.
place the book face down on your head. this reverses any stress on the binding during the drying process.
Fan the pages apart, separating them at the bottom by inserting a series of narrow strips of acid-free paper or cardstock.
turn on electric fans on the cool setting. check each book daily. when the pages no longer sit well, continue to stage 4.

stage 4: dry pages but wet covers

Place the book on layers of absorbent material. isolate wet covers from the text block by inserting a sheet of poly film between them (slightly larger than the covers).
cover the book with a more absorbent material. place a flat board or glass sheet on top and weigh it. multiple books can be placed in a stack to help them weigh each other down. always separate with plastic film sandwiched between absorbent layers
keep using fans to speed drying. good ventilation is necessary to prevent mold.
replace damp absorbent material and remove from drying area to reduce humidity. if necessary, the books can be lightly pressed to ensure the shape is maintained.

relocation after drying

once the books are completely dry and have retained their original shape, they are ready to be put back on the shelves.
return the books to a clean, stable storage environment And dry. meanwhile, the affected area should have been thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and dried.

please note

We cannot give specific advice on the conservation treatment of the articles. the advice we can give is limited to what we understand to be ethical and safe for people and property. For treatment purposes, we recommend that you contact a professional conservator, who will be able to assess each item individually and treat it appropriately. a curator will charge a fee.

for more information:

australian institute for the conservation of cultural materials (aiccm)

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Preservation – Drying a wet book