Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Not sure if this is the right thread but uh...my Dark Eldar codex got soaked (long story), didn't know about the cause of water damage untill too late (longer story) and now it and every book on my bottom shelf has this dark black mold on it. And I believe it's made me sick. (It also sucks my Anime drawing kit books, Signed Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2 theater program book in all japanese, and my Erin Hunter's Warriors collection were damaged...to a lesser extent but still.)

Is there anyway to save my collection from this crap, with destroying the books?

burn them. the black mold alone isn't worth what the replacement value is.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
and whwn you handle them, use gloves and some sort of air filter, better than the paper ones people think protects them from the flu.

Try a solution of borax - one cup of borax in a gallon of water. Dampen a shammy with it and wipe each page of the book, then allow the page to dry. Then go on to the next page. This is a slow process.

To clean the area -
First vacuum the area with a HEPA vacuum cleaner.

Clean the area with the borax solution and a brush.

Wipe the area with a shammy dampened with the solution.

Allow to dry

Borax is a mold inhibitor - this should prevent the mold from coming back.

And, incidentally, adding borax to white glue turns it into this wonderful goop....

The Auld Grump.

Sweet, thanks for the help Auld, and Solo I actually have a working gas mask.

I'd be surprised if a single wet book could provide enough moisture to get black mould growing on a whole shelf full...

I'd be checking to make sure there wasn't water getting to them in some other way like from a damp wall/floor

You probably have molds in your subfloors and walls, nasty stuff to get out, as it will eventually render your house unlivable.

I would still recommend getting rid of the damaged books. No matter how lovingly you scrub the pages, the books are still ruined.