What to Do With Water-Damaged or Moldy Books

Wet books can often be saved if you act within about 48 hours, before mold gets started: air-dry damp books fanned open in a cool room with the air moving, lay soaked ones flat with plain paper towels between the pages, and freeze whatever you can't dry in time. For a big loss or a book you can't replace, disaster-recovery companies offer professional freeze-drying, and conservators treat single books. Library sales and thrift stores generally turn away water-damaged and moldy books. I don't: in the Albuquerque metro I take them in any condition, free, and the one thing to do for your own sake is seal moldy or soaking books in a separate bag so spores don't spread to your dry books or your car. Here's how to rescue what matters and clear the rest without the guesswork.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 505-250-3804

Fastest way to clear them: the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, a covered box outside the gate, by the road, takes whatever fits, any hour, any condition. Too much for the box? Come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., when someone is there to help unload, or get on a free pickup route. Directions. Bag wet or moldy books separately.

First, save the ones you want to keep

If specific books matter to you (sentimental, valuable, irreplaceable), act fast, because speed decides whether a wet book survives. Three things drive the outcome: how wet, how long, and what kind of water. The EPA advises drying water-damaged items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold, and the Library of Congress warns that wet collections may have as little as 48 hours before mold starts. A book soaked in clean water but caught quickly can often be dried or frozen and saved. Floodwater is another matter: the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, co-sponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian, advises gloves, goggles and, when possible, an N95 mask when you handle anything pulled from contaminated water. The longer a book sits wet, the more mold takes hold, so move quickly on anything you care about and don't worry about the rest yet.

How to dry a wet book

Stand damp books up and fan them open. Set a damp book on its end, fan the pages apart, and let it dry in a cool room; the Library of Congress suggests 72°F or below, ideally at 30 to 60 percent relative humidity. Run a fan to keep the air moving, but don't aim it straight at the books, and use a dehumidifier if you have one. Stagnant, humid air invites mold.

Lay soaked books flat and interleave them. Very wet, heavy, fragile or soft-cover books should dry flat. Slip plain paper towels or blank newsprint between the pages every quarter to half inch, and swap them out as they soak up water. Don't overstuff: the Library of Congress notes that too much interleaving can damage the spine.

Freeze to buy time. If you can't get books dry within about 48 hours, freeze them; the Library of Congress and the task force both give that advice. Separate the books with wax or freezer paper, pack them spine down in a single layer in a sturdy box or bin, and set the freezer as cold as it goes. Freezing halts water damage and mold growth until you can dry the books a batch at a time, and a frost-free freezer will slowly dry them on its own over several weeks to several months.

Glossy paper needs extra care. Art books, textbooks and magazines printed on coated paper are the exception to air-drying: the Library of Congress warns that coated pages can fuse together as they dry. If one of those matters to you, freeze it promptly and look into professional drying.

After it's dry. A rescued book may stay wavy or smell musty for a while. My notes on getting rid of musty book smell and on book cleaning and repair cover the next steps.

Professional book drying

For a flooded library, an insured collection or a book you can't replace, professional help is worth a call, wherever you live. The Library of Congress notes that disaster-recovery vendors can provide the best options for wet collections, including blast freezing, freeze-drying and vacuum freeze-drying. For a single important book, a book and paper conservator can treat it, and the American Institute for Conservation's Find a Conservator directory lets you search by location and specialty. Ordinary reading copies rarely justify the cost, and that's where the rest of this page comes in.

Mold: protect yourself, then bag it

Mold deserves care for your sake more than the book's. The EPA's mold cleanup advice calls for long gloves and goggles and suggests an N-95 respirator to limit what you breathe in, and if you have health concerns, it says to check with a health professional before you start. The CDC notes that people with asthma or mold allergies may have severe reactions, and that people with weakened immune systems or chronic lung disease may get lung infections from mold. If you see fuzzy growth or smell that sharp, musty odor, don't shake the books and don't stack them with the dry ones. Then seal the moldy and soaking books in their own bags. That protects you and your dry books, and you're done deciding. Not sure it's mold? Here's how to tell if a book has mold.

Bring it all — even the sad-looking boxes

It's tempting to assume a water-stained or musty box is worthless and belongs in the dumpster. Don't make that call. Most donation sites can't take damaged books (Albuquerque's Friends of the Public Library, for one, lists mold, mildew and water damage among the things it can't resell), but lightly water-marked books still read perfectly and still find homes, and even a rough-looking lot often hides something good: a book worth saving, something I can put back into circulation, or material I can handle responsibly on the back end. A few damp paperbacks or a whole flooded storage unit: bring it. It all adds up, and nothing useful gets wasted. If this is part of clearing an estate or a flooded home, see also what to do with books after someone dies.

What I do with it

I'll come get the whole lot free anywhere in the Albuquerque metro — salvageable, water-stained, or moldy-and-bagged. The sound and lightly-marked books go back into circulation; anything genuinely valuable that survived is flagged; and I deal with whatever's truly spent so you never have to stand over a trash can deciding. You bag the moldy ones for safety, I do the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Can water-damaged books be saved?

Often, if caught fast and the water was clean — dry or freeze them. That matters most for books you want to keep; for the rest, just bring it all and I'll sort it.

How do I dry a wet book?

Stand a damp book on end with the pages fanned open in a cool room, with a fan moving the air but not aimed at the book. Lay soaked or heavy books flat with plain paper towels between the pages every quarter to half inch. Freeze anything you can't dry within about 48 hours, and never use heat or direct sun.

How long do I have before wet books get moldy?

About 48 hours. The EPA advises drying water-damaged items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold, and the Library of Congress warns that mold can start on wet collections in as little as 48 hours. If you can't dry a book in that window, freeze it.

Is there a professional book drying service?

Yes. Disaster-recovery companies freeze wet books and dry them by freeze-drying or vacuum freeze-drying, and book and paper conservators treat individual important books. The American Institute for Conservation's Find a Conservator directory lists conservators by location and specialty.

What should I do with moldy books?

Seal them in a separate bag for your own safety, then bring them along with everything else — I take moldy books too and handle them safely. You don't have to throw anything away yourself.