Wet Book Rescue

[@krazykrisia]

My son just spilled water all over my book. I used a blow dryer turning the pages one by one. Then I used a flatiron, for straightening hair, to smooth out the pages in bunches, then one by one. Now the book with warm, ironed pages is under my mattress between two thin hardcover books. It looks great and it took about 45 minutes.

[@luciafromwiisports37]

Will it work on a paper back

[@kaenagreen1716]

Did you use a cover over the pages? I damaged an expensive book- but only about 4-5 pages (slipped and it flew open to wet some pages)

[@ssaturn1119]

thank you so much! my sister spilt something (idk what) on my sketchbook and it was so easy to fix with your method!

[@chelsysinghal6397]

Thanks a lot! It worked out... Pages are a bit wrinkled but it looks much better than i thought it would turn out to be :)

[@pierogico]

Thank you so much for this! It worked really well :)

[@OoniCrafts]

This was such a weirdly heart warming video. I loved the care you chose to offer to a wet and frazzled book instead of just writing it off. My favourite bit was the wrapped up bricks. Gold!

[@MachaSavageBunny]

The level of the love these people put for the book is amazing.

[@hedgehogz35]

So far, these methods do not work on Kobo or Kindle. Next I'll try a Nook and PocketBook

[@ptonpc]

You're not pressing down hard enough :D

[@omaxman1]

Its cause you need a stronger press

[@okiden.mefineyt93]

You didn’t put it near the fan long enough

[@teenxopiumrickowens]

Have you tried turning it on and off?

[@okiden.mefineyt93]

Thank you so much! My drawing book got wet with my most prized drawings and now i can stop crying over a wrinkled book

[@ariella2658]

I feel u😭.. Luckily its just the ends for me

[@katie-jv3he]

Girl: put a paper between every 10 or 20 pages.. Me: *puts toilet paper between every 2 pages..*

[@rorschachprime8149]

did that work ?

[@akam9919]

New relavence

[@left6121]

That’s what I did.

[@masterclassbeatassclapyour7698]

So quirky

[@katie-jv3he]

Thanks Tank haha ikr I’m so quirky for putting extra toilet paper

[@notachance213]

Thank you for showing such a great way to repair a wet book. After seeing this video I repaired my antique book. I had to do it twice but amazingly it came out great. I'll browse your other videos to see if you have one in removing mold or foxing. Thanks

[@Fubspackz]

Got three books from a professor, then walked through the rain. I really hope this works.

[@iwilitu6591]

Did it work???

[@Elias-od2ik]

Same

[@daryllroy540]

Good luck

[@YOitsJohnDough]

My guy.. the people need to know.

[@Fubspackz]

@@iwilitu6591 Sorry about the really late response. It worked well and the books are in pretty good condition.

[@lesapprentispianistes4530]

Thanks a lot for your help ! My piano teacher lent me a music training book. A water bottle spilled where it was sitting. It had a cap but I didn't know it wasn't waterproof. The bottle "dripped" onto some papers that were on the book, but by capillary action the water reached the book. All the pages were damp, not enough to put the blotters on, but thanks to you I thought about putting a fan. It is dry, all that remains is to put it under the press to put the pages back into shape. I will be able to return a book in good condition to my teacher who is so kind.

[@robertphillips93]

If your book has shiny paper pages, it's likely coated with clays which cohere strongly upon drying. Voila -- glued together until rewetted. Uncoated paper is usually only affected by swelling/wrinkling. But if the back of the text block, underneath the spine, absorbed much water, you can help it and the spine too by poking a paper towel in there when the book is (carefully) open.

[@hex676F64]

I came here to learn how to repair my wet books not to start crying 😭😭😭 beautiful video, ty!

[@emilyolkkola2701]

Thank you for this video. I like to buy used books, and while I am unsure if they are water damaged (no wavy pages), they are definitely bent out of shape lol. I guess I didnt think about pressing a book to the extent of a book presser. Seeing the water damaged book being flattened out made me realize I never put enough weights on my books when I pressed them. Now I have a book with random other things on top of it pressing it down as much as the book presser did to that book (or at least close enough!). Thank you!!

[@andrewfoster1641]

Nice and Practical. We don't realize at times that all paper is born in water and can recover if managed well.

[@iamlalapalooza]

thank you so much, this is great, well presented and lovely with the music!!! my librarian was very uptight and not smiling so all the smiles in this are wonderful : )

[@Anonarchist]

this is why my university doesn't let the books leave the library.

[@amylashorty]

Thank you for this video! Everywhere I searched I only found the steps up until leave over night to dry, but what I really wanted to know was what to do after all of that.

[@andymendivil183]

I dont know if this has happened to anybody else, but i was reading a book, and left it in my bed, so i could go do something else, and at the time, it was rainy season so the moisture in the air of my house was pretty high and we didnt have anything to get rid of it. So 10 minutes later, when i come back, my books pages are all wobbly and distorted, as if it was wet, but it was just due to the moisture in the air. The book was brand new so you can imagine how confused and mad i was.

[@flat-earther]

I have seen fluctuating humidity levels causing that to my books too but later they recovered alone.

[@JD-tg5ib]

Very nice video. Glad to see book restoration is still a thing. 👍

[@silverhairdemon]

Well then where the hell can I find a bookpress?..... :(

[@swiperfox3145]

You DON'T need to BUY one. Put the book on the floor. Get a piece of 1-inch-thick board (bigger than the book.). Put it on the book. Put something heavy on it like a BED, or CABINET, or whatever. Just balance the heavy object so it would not topple over.

[@silverhairdemon]

:) Thanks I try that....

[@clopstock]

just put the book in the freezer and wait until you have a bookpress one day ...

[@oldtimerlee8820]

Once you have 2 boards to sandwich the book, some other options are bottles of water, large cans of food, covered bricks as shown, workout weights, other books, appropriately sized DIY sand bags, bags of rice or pieces firewood. DIY "book clamp" can be made using 2 boards to sandwich the book and c-clamps, bar-clamps or small hydraulic jacks. For small jobs, c-clamps are easy. Just place the book, between protective papers and plywood boards or planks. Using 1, 2, or 3+ c-clamps per side, evenly apply pressure to all 4 sides of the sandwich. Leave in the clamps, as you would for a conventional book press. Hope this helps someone.

[@TheDudeAbideth1969]

Graphic Chemical & ink sells them.

[@ashblack4351]

Thanks. I used a hairdryer with a concentrator attachment to smooth out each page and it went well and and dried each page quickly. The freezer idea could be really good for situations when you really don't have the time.

[@Marie-vd1zg]

The fact that a book press was made is very sad......those poor books

[@alberto_cordova]

Coelho's books are waiting...

[@allaboutart6625]

I feel so happy for the book as a bibliophile and as a librarian

[@Namjoonies_Crab]

what if your book looks like this 2:20.....mine looks not exactly like this but yeah it's damaged .....what should i do now, i didn't knew how to repair it and now i am doomed.................plz help

[@lauraguida8482]

I tried this with a small instruction book that had glossy paper pages. It has been under a stack of heavy books for 2 weeks but they are still rippled. Any suggestions?

[@Killerkraft975]

I walked home during the rain with a 700 page book and my bag zipper was left open and the first 50 pages got wet and i tried to put a bunch of other books ontop for pressure but i dont think it was heavy enough and its still crinkly :(

[@kingamoeboid3887]

My mother got my favourite book War And Peace wet by accident and I was so upset but she dried the pages, it’s still readable but the presentation looked a bit messy.

[@vector8310]

These steps can smooth out warped pages but do not make pages supple again. Does anyone know how to reduce the stiffness from the water damage and restore flexibility to the paper?

[@noblelies]

For a textbook with lightly waxed pages, this i what I did: 1.) Squeezed out excess water. 2.) One paper towel between each page. 3.) Placed a large plastic sheet like a ziplock bag underneath and under the bottom and on top of the book. 4.) Laid book on water safe a flat surface like a table top. 5.) Placed several other heavy books on top. 6.) Let book sit overnight and repeated Steps #1-5 for an additional day. 7.) Removed paper towels and replaced with blank pieces of white printer paper. Repeated steps 3-5 until pages were dry. 8.) Removed printer paper and on a medium-low setting ironed out each page with a clothing iron.

[@88feji]

SULPreservation, can I just iron the the book page by page while its slightly damp ?

[@Angel-ex9oy]

how can you remove the wrinkle after your book is already dry?

[@futureceo8943]

try rewetting it then doing that entire process

[@highlandcheng5035]

One third of my book spine came out, do I stick it using glue or just leave it?

[@haiquoc2013]

What do you do after a book’s pages get wet, then you didn’t do anything with them and just let them dry?!

[@andywalker2077]

How to do with old damage where pages stick together?

[@steampoweredpixel]

This is amazing! Like an A&E but for books

[@haiquoc2013]

How can you preserve/restore the fresh new smell & look of book pages?

[@ehteshamshamsiAligarhUPindia]

What about swollen pages of books found after long period with dried pages.

[@angelapalermo9157]

Advice PLEASE. I accidentally split my large, well used paperback Harry Potter book in half. Now it's in two pieces. To repair it, would it be best just to use clear tape or is there a better way? Thanks for any advice ou can give. 😮❤

[@lisette2060]

Buy a new one... 😁

[@angelapalermo9157]

@lisette2060 thanks but this particular one is sentimental to us. Ha, we still haven't fixed it, my son grabbed it to reread and now it's on the shelf.

[@maxinac]

This was cute and well done. Thanks!

[@lynaawcic]

How about if the book is dry and can't be opened ?

[@yahya_almodamer3939]

Could i use any paper to dry book?

[@atharvsalve]

The other day my journal got wet so I put it in the sunlight but forgot to press it by putting some weight on it. Now its all wobbly/wrinkled and looks untidy :( can anyone lmk what I should do ? The notebook is completely dry now.

[@5tivi]

how long do you have to leave the paper towels in?

[@georgewhitehead8185]

When were the hands of the "Hand Model" shown. He was listed in the credits, as Mr. Ryan Woods. Dr. George Whitehead

[@vincesalon2194]

What to do if your book is 800 pages long?

[@leftyhara3876]

now show us how to fix the book that wasn't put n the freezer at 2:20. ;0/

[@Retro3]

Lefty Hara if it’s that wet then ur fucked

[@emeltea33]

HighWayStudios - mission accomplished?

[@jauncourt]

to do that you have to carefully remoisten the book page by page and press the pages flat one at a time using an iron. There are other videos around on YT of folks restoring damaged and warped books this way.

[@BBC600]

Yeah I thought this was going to be a video about that based on the thumbnail.

[@misan2002]

What if they already dried and shrivelled up

[@patpathinayake3586]

Thank you so much. As I assumed this is what I did. Unfortunately I do not have a book press. I am concerned about the dry mold and please could you tell me how to get rid of it. Thank you.

[@EddieGooch]

Well thanks Obama.

[@ganeshnpvlogs3394]

Pat Pathinayake my marksheet has been stuck in between due to moisture...it a folded type class x original marksheet please help me how remove the stucked moisture because of this cannot unfold it otherwise it will torn

[@usaisbeastly6165]

im in the process of saving my book worth thousands of dollars thanks to my parents leaving it on the basement floor during a flood thank you. I mean the saving part is thanks to you so thanks.

[@angelaholmes8888]

A few days ago i spilled some water unfortunately the bottom part on two of my library books got damaged luckily i saw this video it helped me both look good barley tell there's damage plus i have a great fan thanks

[@charlieangkor8649]

What about clamping it between two wooden boards and putting it into a microwave to boil the water off?

[@flat-earther]

Nah that's crazy

[@RomelJrDuran]

My book already dried and had wrinkles. Emma ganna make this wet again by spilling water on it and do the same process. or does it noy work that way?

[@flat-earther]

Did that method of re-wetting the dried book work out for you?

[@urkiddingme6254]

Does anyone's home freezer look like that? I think about decommissioning the icemaker just to get more room in mine.🤔

[@m1nghaooo]

Urm... So I may have left a library book out in the rain...

[@benreifhardt4471]

I want to know how to fix the second book you showed.

[@irfanmaulananasution]

What sorcery is this? Should have learned this earlier

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

What do we do after freezing the book?

[@kevlandy]

Ahhh, bricks wrapped in paper, the bookbinders friends! :-)

[@Christopher-N]

Somewhere, Mr. Gumby is crooning to the sound of bricks being bashed together.

[@bea5292]

Oh no. I borrowed a friends book and now she’s mad at me (for another reason) and wants it back. How will I tell her that I spilled a glass on it? The whole top half is fine, and three quarters of the pages are fine, but the bottom half of the last quarter is all wrinkly. What do I do?

[@flat-earther]

How did it turn out!?

[@turtleboost5524]

Should I press, I have a graphic novel?

[@rochreech3173]

I have an anatomy book that has survived a flood but I kust retrieved it all the oages have stuck how do I make the book reusable?

[@rochreech3173]

Do I dip it in water again and dry it again?

[@hannahxxx481]

im gonna be sitting on this book for at least 2 days in a row!! LOL thank u so much this helped

[@GleiryAgustin]

My book is wet. I am so mad. :(

[@wkqdehhvkhhh545]

ateb3 well aren’t you lovely

[@medical-me7394]

😭😭😭

[@22tango79]

I have a signed first edition Ten Commandments. My prodigal son dropped them in bathtub. 😢Suggestions?

[@jeffsantos6101]

So instead of using two boards, what else should I use

[@nicole73551]

Mine is already like the "Yikes" book. There were other priorities when we had a flood here. I did not get to check out my picture art book until it was dry. The pages are warped and some stuck together. Is it possible to save it? I'm sure most pages can be wet and separated but there's a lot of rippling.

[@flat-earther]

Did you do anything?

[@moonstar948]

I think my mom spilled water on my sketchbooks. I noticed one of the sketchbooks (the one I usually use) with wrinkled papers and the hardcover is wrinkled badly that the design’s coming off already. It was a cheap one so I said nevermind. I can still use it after all… But now that I picked up the mix media sketchbook…. This one have a bigger water damage. What should I do?? This is probably a few months old water damage…

[@mrmrgaming]

I have a slip cover for a large comic book, it has wrinkles on it, came from factory that way and was sealed. I tried to iron/lot of weight on it, does not seem to straighten it, its paper with like a like very light laminate (only way I can describe it) printed colour cover, perhaps thats reason why it will not de wrinkle. Anything possible to try? thanks

[@darkburnout00]

This was super helpful! Great video!

[@freewill3892]

You wouldn't be related to Sarah Kim the director would you?

[@kev2fuego]

No

[@josephwashington8480]

Would sticking the book in rice work?

[@afox1689]

no, paper holds much more water than a bag of rice could absorb

[@bngr_bngr]

My Pythagoras book looks more like the last book. I love it. None of the pages are stuck together. It has a certain charm.

[@jodyhakala-ristow7014]

Thank you for the video my husband didn’t think you do anything with his book and I think this is going to help and I like that you are going to dry it and then press it we’re gonna try do both at the same time but I guess the air needs to get into the pages to dry them out properly first

[@SleepySarahElizabethNarcolepsy]

HELP! WET BOOK EMERGENCY! Our house flooded. I had a leather-bound, pocket New Testament that was printed in 1824 that was so saturated that by the time I found it, I squeezed it and a small puddle came out. I had previously seen your video, so while it was still wet, I put some paper towels between the pages and put it in the freezer. Now that the emergency is over, I have time to bring it back out of the freezer and rescue it.... But what do I do after I get it back out of the freezer!!?? I have found lots of sources that say to put it in the freezer until you can deal with it later, but none of them say what to do when you get it back out! Help!!

[@flat-earther]

I guess just remove from freezer, wait until all ice melts and continue the same way? How did it go?

[@LeMortso]

Thanks so much!! Great information!

[@aliahmedawan310]

What if water is dried and pages are folded badly. 😒

[@maggiemae5571]

This technique may not work well on books with glossy (magazine-type) paper, which tend to stick together when wet.

[@precious4107]

Should have watched this first before I accidentally dropped my book by the bath tub.

[@Orange-Jumpsuit-Time]

Sure, but what about after the fact, when drying(100% of pages stuck together) has taken place? Or should one re-wet the book and follow this example, and if so, does it have to be the same puddle?😆😅🤣😂

[@randallbaker4293]

My paperback is already a fan, I guess the only solution is to dump it into a bucket of water and then do the steps that you outlined.

[@لقطات-ن7د]

Why did you put it in the refrigerator

[@ksagun13]

Probably to prevent mold or mildew until you have time to dry it completely.

[@varunacharya]

Heya! What is the music you guys are currently using?

[@Darkscenes-jp4ge]

is it possible to restore a book if its been submerged in the toilet and left there for half an hour?

[@flat-earther]

Yes

[@isabelv483]

aaaaaa my salt lamp sweated salt liquid all over my desk and the bottom tips of 19 pages got wet and salted- i didnt notice til today, a whole week since. the pages had already dried with salt lumps in them and waves and visible salt along the edges which kept the pages not-flat. i got my finger tips wet and went along the edge of the book removing the salt just at the edges (couldnt remove the bumps of salt that got inside the tip of the back cover page though), then i let that dry and have had it under a heavy stack of books for 7 hours. The book is dry again now but while the book is more compact now, the waves have become more like creased waves but still better than it was. Does the salt do bad things to the book? I''m just a high schooler.

[@lisette2060]

Salt attracts moisture.. You have to get rid of it! Or it'll cause damage later on, like mold and disperse humid to other books and shelves

[@ShubhamKumar-ld9zf]

Believe it or not, just use cloth iron or use microwave oven. Use over with intervals of 30 second. Try with a rough paper. Make sure the binding of book has no metal.

[@Burhanpasha135]

Thanks for showing the wounder ful idea 😋😋😋

[@khadijaamin5715]

How can i repair my book its now 5-6 months gone since its destroyed Book pages are too hard and are stick to other pages

[@flat-earther]

Did you save your book?

[@jaytamayo4694]

In my alumni university lots of boom got wet because of the flood. How sad. I saw lots and if I coud just take them all home.

[@ut3115]

you shouldn't have shown a different book while you were exwplaining about the math one. You didn't explain how to unstick the pages that where glued togather because of the water, you just put towels between groups of pages and put a fan on it. The pages will still be stuck and then you show another book that has nothing to do with this one.

[@Anonymous-os5zv]

My favourite book was in my bag, and I fell back first into a river... I’m clumsy. I put my book on the radiator, and now it’s, erm... 💀

[@margoh.9423]

I have a YIKES book (like at the end). It's an important journal. I may have to cut the pages loose, iron with water, and have it re-bound somehow.

[@ariasenagms2076]

I hope in my country have a shop like this.

[@josephcalabrese6337]

Can these preservation techniques be used for paper Magazines? I've got this one magazine that I really like, But idiotically placed it in a back pack with a water bottle. I dried it with a hair blower. But now it's wrinkled on one side and the images have a stain mark. HOW DO I FIX THIS!?

[@DaiSy.forchrist]

Just iron it since the paper for magazines are thicker

[@Eric-qi9us]

my 3 brand new books got wet yesterday due to heavy rain

[@snowangels3082]

My 2 year old just knocked over her water bottle all over my BRAND NEW BOOK (I got it yesterday!) I tried blow drying it but the pages got wrinkled, kind of hard/crunchy, and look like it may have shrunk! I’m going to do my best to flatten the pages and press it for a few days or else try my hand at ironing them like some of the comments say, I hope that helps!

[@vladislavkaras491]

Thanks for the video!

[@Kolutic4723]

Helped me so much thankuuuuu

[@terrymadeley]

Putting it in the freezer surprised me, I would never have thought of doing that

[@ninja.saywhat]

reheat it in the microwave if you're ready to read.

[@ajmalhussainmir1180]

Great job many times practical notebooks were wet due to sudden rain I think this will help

[@mukti1391]

in the refrigerator???

[@irinezulfa]

I didn't know it can be fixed! I always thought the book is ruined when it's wet

[@thewisebanana29]

Book press is just a big vice grip 🙂