This week’s Ask Annissa answers a question about properly cleaning and restoring books that were covered in soot after a kitchen fire. An odor-control spray was used, which tackled the odor, but not the remaining soot. She wanted to know if a chem sponge would be effective and safe for cleaning the books.

Annissa shares that books are highly odor-absorbent and require a careful, multi-step approach. While spraying products should be avoided, chem sponges can absolutely be used to remove surface soot from book covers, spines, and even pages when done properly. However, the proper method is a gentle side-to-side motion as opposed to scrubbing because it can tear pages and damage ink and handwriting. 

When dealing with antique, signed, or high-value books, Annissa advises contacting a professional contents restoration company or conservator to prevent irreversible damage.

Do you have a burning question for Annissa? Email her at anissa@firehouseeducation.com with “Ask Annissa” in the subject line, and you just might be featured on the next episode! See you next week.