Accidents happen. Sometimes, even when you've gone out of your way to take care of your precious and rare books, they get wet - from water splashes, accidental spilling of a drink, an unexpected flood, or other natural disasters. Whatever has happened to make your book wet, it is necessary that you repair it right away before it swells and eventually crumbles apart.
A book, once wet, can never be restored to its original state. If it will take time to make a decision on which book drying method to use, experts suggest that you freeze your wet book while you decide. Doing this will prevent insect infestation and the growth of molds. Mold can grow within 24 to 48 hours on paper when it becomes wet or when it is left in a warm and humid environment. Once mold grows on books it cannot be removed.
It is also important to consult an expert or a paper conservator, especially if the book is a rare one and of value, because they can give you options and advise you on the best book drying technique for you.
It is usually more cost-effective to dry wet books than to replace them, especially if the book is rare and valuable, or already out-of-print. Before you think of throwing that wet book away and replacing it, check out the following methods of book drying. One of these may be right for you.
The choice of which method to use depends on several factors: what caused the damage to the book, what the level of damage is, how many books are there that have to be dried, how valuable the book is, how much the budget is, and what drying service or equipment are available.
Different Methods of Book Drying
Air Drying is one of the oldest and most common methods of drying wet books. This method is the most suitable for small numbers of books that are damp or only slightly wet. Air drying needs no special equipment and is the most inexpensive method of book drying. On the other hand, air drying as a book drying method is labor-intensive, occupies space, and sometimes results in distorted bindings after the book is dried. Experts note that if you are drying a book that is bound and made of coated paper, this method may not be successful.
Dehumidification is another method of book drying. It is fairly new and now that it is increasing in popularity, it is often used in libraries and archives. This method was employed in the distant past for drying out buildings and cargo areas in ships. Dehumidification is done with large commercial dehumidifiers that are brought into the site, enabling the contents of the place, including furniture and equipment, to be left in place. This method has been found to also work successfully for moderately wet books, including those with coated paper, that have not yet swelled and the pages have not yet adhered to each other. Dehumidification allows you to control temperature and humidity levels, and saves you the cost of physically moving your books to another site or to a freezer or vacuum chamber. The disadvantage of this method, though, is that the success of the process depends on the expertise of the machine operator and the amount of equipment on hand, especially if there is a large amount of books to be dried.
Another method is Freeze Drying, where you place the wet book in a self-defrosting blast freezer. This method is good for books that are damp or moderately wet. To successfully dry a wet book using this process, you should place the books in the freezer as soon as possible after it gets wet. Also, the bindings should be supported firmly, either by tightly wrapping it or by holding it in place with something heavy so that it will not swell further. The freezer should have the capability to freeze rapidly and must have a temperature of below -10°F so that the book will not be distorted and will dry easily. When you do book drying using this method, you can place the books in stacks inside the freezer or spread them around. The process usually takes from several weeks to several months, depending on the temperature of the freezer and the extent of wetness. Book drying through freeze drying usually does not work well for books that have coated paper because the leaves of the book may adhere to each other.
Vacuum Thermal Drying is a process of book drying where the books are placed in a vacuum thermal drying chamber. The book to be thermal dried may be wet or frozen. This process involves drawing the air out of the chamber and introducing heat of above 32°F in order to dry the book. Thus, the book stays wet while it dries. Paper conservators find this an acceptable method of drying books, and it is easier and usually more cost-effective than air drying. However, this method causes extreme distortion in the books to be dried and also paper adhesion, especially if the book is made of coated paper. When you use the vacuum thermal drying method for book drying, you should expect to have to rebind your books. Vacuum thermal drying is usually used for books with extensive water damage.
Another vacuum method of book drying is Vacuum Freeze Drying. When you have large numbers of very wet books to be dried or if your books are made of coated paper, this is an effective method to use. This process involves placing the wet books, which have been frozen previously, into the vacuum chamber. Then the air is drawn out of the chamber and heat is introduced. Like the previous method, drying is done at temperatures below 32°F. In vacuum freeze drying, the book remains frozen while it dries. What happens is a process called sublimation, where the frozen water or what we know as ice turns into ice crystals without melting. The water vaporizes, and it is then sucked out of the chamber. The vacuum freeze drying method is effective for arresting swelling and further distortion of the book, which means that your book's condition will not get any worse than the state it was in before you placed it in the vacuum chamber. The downside, though, is that this process requires sophisticated equipment which may not be readily available.
Things to Remember
Air drying is the simplest and most inexpensive method of book drying. This is the most cost-efficient method to use, and the most common method resorted to. Here are a few things to keep in mind when air drying.
As soon as you retrieve your book from the puddle of water, stand it on its head with absorbent paper underneath, so that the fluid or moisture will run down from the book's leaves and be absorbed by the paper. Don't use printed paper as an absorbing agent, because the ink on that paper may stain your book.
Place absorbent paper such as blank newsprint, unprinted paper towels, or blotting paper in between the pages of the book in order to absorb the moisture and start the book drying process. If the pages are stuck together, don't force them apart because this might result in tearing. Let the book's leaves dry and separate on their own.
Stand the book on its tail, with the pages slightly fanned open, in front of a fan that has been positioned upwards. Don't put the fan directly facing the book because the loose sheets, if there are any, may separate and fly away. The air coming from the fan will help to dry up the moisture in the book.
Periodically replace your interleaving sheets with fresh dry ones. Remember to put in absorbent sheets between the covers too. After replacing the interleaving sheets, stand the book on the other side this time so that the book drying process will be evenly distributed. If you stood it on its tail the first time, this time stand it on its head. You will need to replace the interleaving sheets frequently in order to speed up the book drying process.
Book drying takes time, and may last up to several days. Periodically check the book for mold growth. If you find mold starting to grow on the book's pages, swab it out with a little alcohol on a piece of cotton.
After the book has dried, gently shape it back into its normal form and lay it flat on your work surface. Then press it with a book press - if you have one - or other heavy items such as bricks or a telephone directory. Wrap the brick or telephone directory with absorbent paper so that the colors will not stain the book. Leave the book in this position for several days. Don't stack drying books together.
After your book has dried completely, you can now store it back in your shelves or in a box. Remember to periodically check the books for mold growth.
