HOW TO: Prevent Dust From Accumulating on Books

So I was just looking over my books and noticed alot of them had some dust on them. I tried blowing it off, and that seems to have worked for a little bit. However, I don't think that I should have to go and blow dust off every book every dad to keep them pristine.

My question is does anyone have any tips on how to keep dust from accumulating on books? My books aren't in a glass case, as the're expensive and I have no room for them. This is a rough idea of what they look like:

http://i40.tinypic.com/2vvvu2p.jpg

I don't want them to get damaged from the dust that will collect over time, yet there has to be a way to keep the dust away. Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks. :)

As you know, your best bet is to find a bookcase with doors.

The only other solutions I can think of would be less than satisfactory:
1. Find someone who can shrinkwrap each book.
2. Run a long piece of paper across the top of each row of books, like butcher paper or something - although ideally you'd use something acid free.

If you haven't already, I'd take a look at the Bookcase thread in the main Calvin's forum for ideas at various price levels and start saving for something with glass doors.

Good luck!

Ricky, I'd suggest using archival quality plastic bags. I use these for my rarer firsts (in addition to most of my proofs) and find they work just fine. They can be found in most comics stores.

John

They say you learn something new every day. I have never thought of that. Thanks, John.

Ricky, obviously John's recommendation is far better than my ideas.

Archival plastic bags? Now that's something new that I wouldn't have thought of! I'll have to check that out being that it'd be an alternative to a bookcase with glass doors (even though I'd love to have one!). I'll check out the Bookcase thread too in case there's something that I see that'll fit in terms of price and space.

I don't want to have to replace my entire collection one day due to dust soiling so I just may have to invest in a glass door case.

Thanks Patrick and John--big help!

Ricky - Check out www.bagsunlimited.com - they have some real nice archival stuff.

LOL Pam! That's the first sight I clicked on when I did a Google search before you posted. Great minds think alike. :)

I was checking out the Bookcase thread and I found a really nice one from Ikea that's reasonably priced. Here's the link for any feedback one may provide:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49831464

I think Jerome originally posted this and if he didn't say they were from Ikea, I wouldn't have known. They look amazing! I just have to go measure to see if I have room.

I don't think I would like the look of a bookshelf with all the books in plastic bags. But that is just my opinion. I've got a 3 inch wide paint brush with VERY soft bristles. About twice a year I take all the books from the shelves, dust the shelves and lightly brush the edges of each book before placing them back on the shelves. It's a trick I learned from Roy Robbins and it works just fine for me.

I like that A LOT and I've been doing pretty much the same on mine. It gives me a chance to love on them a bit.

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Originally Posted by carlosdetweiller

About twice a year I take all the books from the shelves, dust the shelves and lightly brush the edges of each book before placing them back on the shelves.

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Do you find that the dust keeps coming back? Maybe I've just got a thing with perfection and I'm looking too much into the situation.

I'm going to go take a photo or two and you all can tell me if I'm just being anal. :panic:

On an open shelf, dust will quickly accumulate. I agree that bags look less than ideal (although they do a great job). You could also on a regular basis (weekly-no less) spray the tops off with canned air.

Unfortunately, that's the truth. Jerome, do you know if Ikea has the cases that you have for aout 15 inches shorter? If so, that would be ideal. I don't see any shorter ones in that style online, but I may be wrong.

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Originally Posted by Ricky

Do you find that the dust keeps coming back? Maybe I've just got a thing with perfection and I'm looking too much into the situation.

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My books that are shelved out in the open (not in glass-fronted bookcases) are in a basement and not subjected to much dust accumulation. About twice a year seems enough in my situation. Of course I dust the shelves AROUND the books a lot more frequently. I'm just talking about the books themselves being taken down twice a year and dusted as well as the shelf space UNDER the books. Everyone has their own tolerance for dusting. Mine might not be as frequently done as some would like. (My wife, however, has not complained and considering her low tolerance for dust makes me think I am doing a pretty good job.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carlosdetweiller

I don't think I would like the look of a bookshelf with all the books in plastic bags. But that is just my opinion. I've got a 3 inch wide paint brush with VERY soft bristles. About twice a year I take all the books from the shelves, dust the shelves and lightly brush the edges of each book before placing them back on the shelves. It's a trick I learned from Roy Robbins and it works just fine for me.

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I do the same thing. i don't have any bookshelves with glass doors, so I have to dust. I bought a horse hair brush from Bro-dart, and it works like a charm.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ricky

Unfortunately, that's the truth. Jerome, do you know if Ikea has the cases that you have for aout 15 inches shorter? If so, that would be ideal. I don't see any shorter ones in that style online, but I may be wrong.

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Do you mean in height or width?
The cases in my picture are actually 3 units side by side. Each is ~80"tall, 32" wide and 12" (with optional doors) deep.
I'm guessing you mean in height, and I will investigate.

Edit:
Ikea link to shorter case:

http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/0084500_PE211238_S3.JPG

Yes, sorry, I did mean height. My dimensions that I have to work with are 63" H x 40" W. The ones that you bought would be perfect except that my TV arm is mounted on the wall and would be in the way of 70" H.

This is what I am leaning towards now:

http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Oxfo...s/150/#reviews

FIVE-SHELF/24"W
However, I am worried that 24" W seems a little short and may look distorted once put together. Some of the photos of the other cases of the same collection are the same height and width, yet they look different in terms of size and doors.

You don't want too wide. You'll run into the problem of drooping shelves!

How wide would you say is too wide out of 24, 36, etc.?

It really depends on the bookcase. I have similar Ikea bookcases to Jerome's and the 32" is nice and sturdy. I also have one that is 36" but with crappy hardware to attach the shelves which droop in the middle (I'm replacing this one). I guess maybe it has more to do with the hardware used to attach the shelves and their max load.

From what I've seen, the higher the price, the higher the max shelf load, the less the droop, etc, etc.

I can't see the place where the case is going...nor do I know your long term plans (more matching cases etc.), but a 5' (60")n tall case is a bit of an oddity. Not tall like most, nor short like others.
I have TV's on armatures, etc. It might be easier to change or relocate the TV.

As far as too wide, a 24" shelf should never noticeably sag. I have several 48" shelves (wood and glass), and if they sag a bit I either turn them over every 3-5 years, or put a support at the back of the case, in the middle of the shelf. Capiche?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ricky

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carlosdetweiller

About twice a year I take all the books from the shelves, dust the shelves and lightly brush the edges of each book before placing them back on the shelves.

---

Do you find that the dust keeps coming back? Maybe I've just got a thing with perfection and I'm looking too much into the situation.

I'm going to go take a photo or two and you all can tell me if I'm just being anal. :panic:

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Science Corner:
The amount of dust in the room is directly proportional to the number of people who go in it, and how often.

Household dust is 80% human skin (Eeeeeewwwww!)

LOL. No one ever goes in my room, yet the dust finds me.

Ricky fled across the house, and the dust followed.

It's all your skin then!! :panic:

Must be leftover from lunch. :orely:

EDIT: Geoff, what brush did you buy from Bro-dart? I'm thinking that's the way to go if it's working for you. I looked on the site and saw three different ones.

My bookcase is also 48" wide and, yes, the shelves sag ever so slightly in the middle. Therefore I'm trying to put the really big, heavy books on the ends and the smaller, lighter books toward the middle, however that plan only goes so far to help.

I use a shoe polish brush for mine, never used on shoes ofcourse, works great and can be found easily.

As to what dust is made of, that all depends on where you live. If you live in a very dry climate (like say Amarillo, TX where I grew up) the majority of the dust is made of sand and fine dirt particles, and if you want a dust free bookcase you are going to do it everyday. I remember having to dust as a kid and never liked it cause by the time you got finished dusting everything in the house the stuff you started with was dusty again. :pullhair:

Actually about 75% of the dust in your home is sloughed off dead skin cells. One person sloughs off roughly 30,000-40,000 cells per minute. :)

Anyhow I prevent dust from falling on my books by staring at it sternly. <_< It knows better.

I actually like the archival bags the best of the ideas. Dusting is going to be abrasive and only so effective in the long run. "Canned air" is typically ether-based, so I'm not sure if that is good for the books.

The bags keeps all the dust off of the books, plus would likely help in a limited way to prevent UV sun damage. Short of expensive slip cases, the bags seem most effective and affordable.

The only drawback I see with bags is that displayed books wouldn't look very appealing.

I agree, sort of... although I've seen examples that looked very neat (see Barry's collection thread). Personally I'm happy with Brodart protectors on my hardcovers but I am contemplating putting my proofs in archival bags (I've completely lost faith in the paperback protective covers I used after I noticed that some of them stuck to the ink on the covers).

Not sure this goes here - but it is dust related.
I'm looking at a book and the description includes "Rear board with very modest dust stain".
SO, what exactly is a dust stain? I know what dust can do to the top paper but the rear board?

That's a question to be answered by the seller with high resolution images.
The higher value (potential) of the item, the better the description and images you should expect.
Of course everyone is trying to find a $2K book for $20, and don't wish to publish the info.

To me, "Rear board with very modest dust stain", means the board is either so dusty that it can't be carefully "dusted", or it's moisture and dirt related.

Hi all,
For most of my books, I've cut individually sized sheets of acid and lignin free paper that I then fold over the top of the text block and then close the cover to hold the paper on top. It prevents dust from settling on the books and I don't have to store them in plastic. Also for some of my more important books, to stop the top part of the text block separating from the spine due to the weight of the text block, I will build a platform for the text block to rest on. I also use the acid free paper to wrap that. You still have to dust the books and air them from time to time, but it's much easier.

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Originally Posted by Randall Flagg

That's a question to be answered by the seller with high resolution images.
The higher value (potential) of the item, the better the description and images you should expect.
Of course everyone is trying to find a $2K book for $20, and don't wish to publish the info.

To me, "Rear board with very modest dust stain", means the board is either so dusty that it can't be carefully "dusted", or it's moisture and dirt related.

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Sorry, four days w/o internet - now they fixed that no phone. But I guess that's a different thread. It's a 60$ book and here's what he wrote back: "The rear board on this title is predominately white and a close examination will reveal just a touch of discoloration that I believe resulted from reading the book without its dust jacket (a good idea normally). I don’t believe this modest discoloration would be viewable if I scanned the rear board. As I say, it’s pretty slight."

since it is a very reliable dealer (Zeising)- and I have now ordered the book - we'll see when it gets here.

http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbxi0wzjx.jpg

I can live with it. Altho it has a faint hint of smoke.