Trask Research, Inc. - Mold Problem Solving

Mold Remediation on Books and Paper

By Matt Yurina, Sr. Mold Technician

CONTAIN- the mold from spreading into uncontaminated areas;

KILL- the mold;

REMOVE- the dead mold and materials used for remediation; and

PROTECT- the cleaned out area against future mold infestations.

Aside from delicate antiques and paintings, books and paper products are the most difficult to remediate. Mold literally eats cellulose material like books, cardboard and paper, and even in a short period of time can completely destroy these types of items. Mold spores can be damp wiped from book covers and laminated or glossy pages with a rag and a fungicide like Oxy Mold MX-501™. For paper pages a water based fungicide would do more harm than good, so the only way to remove mold spores would be to carefully HEPA vacuum them, or have a professional remediation company clean them.

For books with actual mold growth on the covers or pages the safest and only sure way to be rid of the mold would be to bag up and dispose of the books. Books with sentimental value, newspaper archives in libraries, or any other such materials that need to be saved would need to be treated more thoroughly, one page at a time, in order to salvage as much of the material as possible. Anyone performing the work should wear at least a P100 respirator, gloves and goggles to protect themselves from mold spores that might spread around, and they’ll need to work carefully (i.e. under a ventilation hood) so as not to spread mold spores to uncontaminated areas. Moldy sections will need to be cut out, bagged up and thrown away. The remainder of the material will need to be either carefully HEPA vacuumed or treated by a professional remediation company.

There won’t always be a way to save books and paper products if mold has been allowed to grow on them. Controlling mold growth is all about controlling moisture. Books and paper products especially should be stored in dry areas that aren’t high in humidity and are well ventilated. If flooding or leaks occur and dampen or completely drench these types of materials, they need to be removed from the moist areas and thoroughly dried out immediately. Mold can begin growing on such porous cellulose material within 24 hours.