Basic Smell Restoration On My Ben Franklin Book

 Imagine my excitement when I found this gorgeous kids' book on Benjamin Franklin at our last community book sale. It's a 1952 story by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft with the best illustrations by Edward A. Wilson. I fell in love immediately!

Unfortunately, it also smelled like someone's smoky basement. It was a challenge just to flip through the pages, let's put it that way. There was no way I was letting that stop me, though! After a little research, I learned that after you let the book air out, preferably outside for a few days, you can put dryer sheets between every few pages and seal it in a plastic container.


I put my box together on September 2, and I pulled it out on December 14. I couldn't believe the difference - having an odor absorber in there pulled out all the stench and left behind a clean-laundered smell. Then all I had to do was wash out the plastic container, and it was ready to use again, too.


Now my sweet little book has its own place in my Revolutionary War collection, and I'm not afraid to add more books that might not be in the best condition. Knowing this cleaning tip means that hopefully I can rescue some other books in the future and help restore them. Do you have any aging books that could use some help in the smell department?

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