Getting Rid of the Musty Odors in Old Books

Jeanette recommended:
I had some cookbooks that had been stored and when i took them out to sort, they also had a smell. All i did was put them in a large black trash bag with some crumbled up news paper. Then i put a cup of ground coffee into a square of cheese cloth. Pull it up and around and twist tie it. Put all into trash bag and close all up. Leave in bag up to a week. When i took them out, the smell was gone.

Lisa wrote in with ALL of these great suggestions:
There is no guaranteed way to remove the musty smell from old books, but there are things you can try which may help. The musty smell is most often noted in books that have been mouldy or mildewed in the past. The first step is to create an enclosed chamber. This is most easily done by using two rubbish bins, one large with a lid and one smaller. The object to be "deodorized" should be placed in the smaller bin, which is then placed in the larger one.. Some type of odour-absorbing material should then be placed in the bottom of the larger can.

Odor absorbing materials to try include baking soda, charcoal briquettes (without lighter fluid), or kitty litter. The lid should then be placed on the larger bin, and the chamber should be left for some time. You will need to monitor periodically to see how long the materials need to be left inside.

Another option is paper containing Zeolite molecular traps known as microchamber=AE products which have proven very effective at removing odours. We suggest placing a sheet of the fine, 100% cotton interleaving tissue between the front board and the endpaper, every 50 pages throughout the volume and again between the back board and the end paper. Close the book and set it aside until the odour is reduced.

Fresh air and sunshine may help, fan books by standing on edge so all the pages are exposed. It is not a good idea to spray with Lysol or other chemical deodoriser and this hastens deterioration.

You can also try wrapping them in used dryer sheets, placing them in a plastic bag for about a week.

Or spray on your favourite fragrance and/or shake baby talcum powder generously all over the book and place inside a plastic bag, leave for a while. I would be very careful that this does not damage the book though. Seal them in a bag with kitty litter or baking soda for a week.