Tweet
My dad found some random books on top of a cabinet when he was changing a lightbulb in the kitchen. Paperback books, specifically. They are covered in a decent layer of dust and ick. How should I de-ick them?
-
"Things that fail to kill me make me level up." ~ NateWantsToBattle, Training Hard (Counting Stars parody) -
By "ick", I am assuming your typical kitchen grease build up.
If the books are newer and have a high gloss cover:
Make up a cleaning solution of water and a good grease cutter/dish soap. Wipe them down with a lightly dump cloth. Don't try to clean the edges.
If the books are older and have a no gloss, paper cover, you are probably out of luck -
Csquared has good advice about the covers, and you can 'clean' the edges of the pages if they're icked up too - get some fine sandpaper, wrap it around a block of wood to make a nice solid flat surface, hold the book tightly closed and rub the page edge surfaces against the sandpaper block to take off the gunk.Comment
-
Yeah. It's a greasy, almost waxy feeling. Also, they're just plain ol' paperbacks, one of which actually looks like it might be a good read.Quoth csquared View Post"Things that fail to kill me make me level up." ~ NateWantsToBattle, Training Hard (Counting Stars parody)Comment
-
Do this very, very, very carefully:
Brown paper on top of the book, and between the cover and the first page. Very, very gentle heat on an iron. Just enough to soften the kitchen grease. Soften the grease, then tip the book over so the grease 'melts' into the brown paper, rather than into the book cover.
Or a grill that's capable of being set on 'will not harm paper' setting, and again, melt the grease into brown paper.
Basically, you have two choices: melt the grease, or dissolve the grease.
Kitchen grease is soluble in .. hrm.
I wonder if you can dissolve it with alcohol? Try it. On an inconspicuous part of the back cover, and just a small swab of alcohol.
water-plus-detergent is, of course, the usual method of dissolving kitchen grease. Problem is that you don't want the water on the book. You can gradually clean it with a lightly dampened cloth and detergent, wash the oil off then wipe it dry and let it wait, then repeat the process with the next spot.
Technically, it's soluble in some forms of oil. But that's just going to make the book worse, so skip that.Seshat's self-help guide:
1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.
"All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.Comment
-
I would think that this method would simply allow the grease to soak into the paper cover as soon as it melts.Quoth Seshat View Post
On the other hand, why clean it. Make a book jacket and seal the ick in.Comment
Comment