Musty smell on book bought in second hand shop - how to remove?

[soupyspoon]

Bought a fantastic book today, the outside we have wiped with anti bacterial wipes, it looked like it had been kept in someones loft for years

But the book is very very musty smelling, so much that I dont want to take it upstairs and read it in the bedroom and put it on my bed covers sort of thing

Any ideas about how to fix it, or is it doomed? Its hardcover and 400 pages, almost A4 size but landscape if that makes sense

The pages are smooth paper not novel paper, if that makes sense. Lots of pictures and illustrations (its a cookery history book)

You will not remove the smell.

Is that not just how old books smell?

Booklovers bloody love that smell!
Smell of old books, wondrous and magical. 😂

Well I am a booklover and I know what you mean, I used to buy a lot of used books and frequent the book markets a lot, so I know its normal but its really strong.

Put the book in a shoe box/ Amazon box with scrunched up newspaper and a little bowl or pot of bicarb, put the lid on and leave for a week.

If this doesn't work, or there's risk of mold/mildew spores, put the book in a big zip lock freezer bag with bicarbonate of soda and then put in the freezer for a week. Or do one or the other if you don't want to do both.

I've done this loads of times but only with books that don't have soft covers as wiping off the bicarb can be a bit scratchy and damage a soft cover.

Try wrapping it in newspaper, a few sheets thick. Leave it for a couple of weeks and that should remove some of the smell.

Could you put in zip lock bag in the freezer? At least you’ll know it’s been ‘zapped’

This is a really good idea

So sprinkle the bicarb in the bag?

Yes, I put the bicarb in the bottom of the bag, pop in the book in, give it a little shake.

When you take it out, try and shake out as much bicsrb as possible and then use a soft brush ( big fluffy makeup brush will do!) to remove the rest.

That's half the charm of a secondhand book. 🤓