PSA: I thought that trick with a potato for cleaning old book cloth was a joke...

I was working on a 1920s edition of 'Moby Dick' with really grimy, stained cloth covers. A friend in my local guild in Portland swore by rubbing a raw potato slice on it, and I was totally skeptical. After trying a few gentle cleaners with no luck, I gave it a shot on a small corner... and the starch actually lifted a ton of the surface grime without damaging the fabric. It's not a miracle, but for light soil it works way better than I expected. Has anyone else tried weird kitchen remedies that actually panned out for book cleaning?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_chen353mo ago

Seriously? That sounds like a great way to introduce mold and rot.

richard_hall1mo ago

Hear me out, but I think the mold concern gets overstated. I've been cleaning old books for thirty years and the key is just not to soak the cloth. A quick wipe with a potato slice, then a dry cloth to pick up the moisture, and you're done. The starch dries out fast if you don't leave it wet. I've done this on a dozen books from the 1800s and never had a mold problem. A little common sense goes a long way.

caleb_bell3mo ago

Yeah, the mold risk is real. I'd be nervous about that too, especially with an older book.