Treating moldy and mildewed books with microwave radiation...test complete

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

Took 2 years, but proved to be worth it. If you got / get mildewed or moldy paperwork it may be of interest to you.

Full rundown

https://daniel-d-teoli-jr-archival-collection-ii.home.blog/2019/05/11/treating-moldy-and-mildewed-books-with-a-microwave-oven/

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

Update 4.5.24

Since I've first experimented with using microwave radiation to treat mold and mildewed paper, I've had a lot more experience at it. Here is a sample of one magazine I treated with the microwave. The mold smell was pretty bad. Bad enough where you could smell it far away right through a sealed plastic bag. 

 

Selection from Pinup Magazine Collection

DDTJRAC

An important thing to be aware of when doing this is to think about the water fastness of the ink used on the paper. I noticed with old seed catalogs the ink can run and smudge when you microwave it. The paper is microwaved in a plastic bag and produces lots of water moisture. The water condensation in the bag can make the ink run.

The best way to handle it is to interleave blotter material or paper towels between the area's that have ink that is most prone to run. This paper treatment does not work very well unless it is bagged. The paper just doesn't heat up evenly enough if not bagged. And when you bag it, the moisture condenses within the bag. Hence the need for blotter material if the ink is not water fast.

Another area to be aware of is not to scorch the paper. You have to work in small, timed treatments, inspect it and reverse for another treatment. Once you do a few samples you will learn how long is too much. After you give a front and back treatment, you take it out and let the paper recover (cool down / dry up) then inspect. You can also give it more treatments on another day after you judge how the treatments have done. Some of the material I have treated smells completely cured of mold and mildew...and they were heavily infected and smelly. But it takes time. 

Edited April 5 by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.