Home> Care for Books

Text by: Tanya Munshi
For a book lover to see his/her books in an unkempt condition is quite painful. A good collection of books owned by anybody -- whether a book lover or not -- is a status symbol and speaks volumes about the individual’s personality. So here are some handy tips to care for man’s oldest friend -- books!

Handling Of Books
~ Most of the time a book loses its brand-new look due to poor handling. This usually happens because of dog ears, keeping the book open and upside down, leaving it in the open to gather dust and dirt.
~ Books should never be handled while eating food. A drop of food will stain the pages forever.
~ Ensure your hands are clean, dry and grease/oil free before handling a book.
~ Avoid turning a page by dabbing your finger to your tongue. Keep a wet sponge instead if you must. Better still, avoid any moisture coming in contact with your books.
~ Remove a book from the shelf by holding the firm edges and not by pulling a single cover.
~ Turn the pages one by one, not two or three together and flipping them. Flipping through pages can cause the pages to bend.

Care For Books
~ Always use book marks. You can get book marks from your local book store or paint your own.
~ Dust your book shelf regularly with a soft brush. Vacuum the book shelf and throw in some naphthalene balls to prevent silverworms and other insects from eating into your books.
~ Regularly remove all your books from the shelf and gently flip through the pages. This will let out the moist and soiled air from the books.
~ If you have leather bound books then its best to keep them covered with a cloth or book cases meant for leather-bound books.
~ Never write in books with a pen. Preferably use a pencil if you wish to scribble.
~ You can occasionally dust some talcum powder in between the pages to keep the pages moist free. This also prevents fungal growth in the corners of your books.

Storage Of Books
~ Avoid placing lights over your bookshelf or shift your bookshelf if sunlight reaches it directly.
~ Direct light can cause the coverings and the pages to fade.
~ Avoid keeping books tightly against one another in a book shelf. Books should be kept in such a way that they can be easily removed.
~ Place heavy books flat on a separate shelf.
~ Classic/ archival books that have some loose papers should be kept in an air-tight box and should be handled with extra care.

Published in Tips4me, on June 04, 2007
Link: http://www.tips4me.com/tips/homehints/others_main.asp?file=/tips/home/cleaning.htm