Comic books have delighted the followers of superheroes and other comic-strip characters for many years. They are accumulated for reading pleasure and are also a popular collectable item. When you obtain a comic book with a musty odour, it's important to remove the stale odour to prevent it from transferring to other comic books in your collection. The right supplies and odour-removing techniques get rid of the smell without causing damage to the paper and ink used to create the comic book.

  • Comic books have delighted the followers of superheroes and other comic-strip characters for many years.
  • The right supplies and odour-removing techniques get rid of the smell without causing damage to the paper and ink used to create the comic book.

Preheat the oven to 121 degrees Celsius. Once the oven reaches that temperature, turn it off.

A cooling rack used for baking helps air circulate around a musty-smelling book.

Open the musty-smelling comic book to the middle of the book. Lay it on a wire cooling rack and place it inside the oven. Close the door and allow the book to remain in the oven until it has cooled completely.

Newspaper absorbs odours from other surfaces.

Remove the comic book from the oven. If any musty smell remains, place the open comic book inside a large plastic zip bag. Crumple up old newspaper and place it under and on top of the comic book; seal the bag and let the newspaper absorb the odour overnight.

Take the comic book out of the plastic zip bag. Tackle any last traces of musty odour by placing the comic book outside in direct sunlight or inside near a window that receives direct sunlight. Sunlight kills any odour-causing mould, mildew or bacteria, while the fresh air removes lingering odour.

TIP

Place a smelly comic book in a plastic zip bag with charcoal briquettes or baking soda to remove unpleasant odour. Absorb musty odour by sprinkling baking soda over the comic book and allowing it to sit overnight. Brush off the baking soda the next day. Store comic books and other paper collectibles in a climate-controlled area or container to keep them safe from damaging moisture.