Featured Postcards smell like mold and smoke?

I have been collecting postcards recently and some I have purchased smell to high heavens of cigarette smoke and one smells like organic leaves like mold. None show any signs of mold growth whatsoever.... How can I go about getting rid of the smells? They are all in plastic sleeves so it isn't horrible, just wanted to know if there was a simple way to rid of the smells. I heard something about clay cat litter in a shoebox?

One card I noticed has light mildew spotting very very faint, must be from a long time ago. Should I brush it off lightly just to insure none remains?

 

Kitty Litter can work, vinegar in close proximity can get rid of cigarette smoke (used car dealer's trick) and of course baking soda will also absorb stinks.

 

If you do happen to get something paper related with old stains of mildew/mold and it doesn't smell would you just brush it off lightly? Or do I need to get rid of it? It's a rare Halloween postcard!

 

Spartcom5, I know that my mother always had an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb any odors, even good-smelling odors.

 

I was told peroxide will kill mold. On paper you can try a super fine mist of it, but I'd worry about it if the card is not glossy. Also try shining a UV C light also will kill mold. Uv C lights can be dangerous to your eyes. DO not look directly at it and where eye protection(sunglasses).

 

Maybe @moreotherstuff might have an idea.

Not sure I would try peroxide.
Might take some of the color out if any natural pigments were used.

 

From the American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/alcts/preservationweek/advice/process-removing-mildew-smell-old-photos

http://www.ala.org/alcts/preservationweek/advice/musty

 

Sadly, I have nothing to add.

A book I have called "Curatorial Care of Works of Art on Paper" (Anne F. Clapp, 1978) speaks of using thymol crystals for fumigation, but I don't know how available that would be.

Thymol is an extract from the herb thyme and apparently it has a pleasant scent, so I suppose it could be a new age health food thing.

 

Hi,
I used Thymol on all of my framed photos and paper stuff, No odor but it protected them so no mold or other bad stuff. The BEST thing for odors and stuff is an ozone machine. You can get small ones from eBay for around 80 dollars.
greg

 

White, strong smelling crystals. Thymol was first isolated by Neumann in 1719. It occurs naturally in ajowan oil, horsemint oil, eucalyptus oil, and as an extract from thyme plants. Thymol is an disinfectant and fungicide that has been used to prevent mold and mildew in tempera paint, gesso, leather, furs, paper, and parchment. It has also been used as a fumigant by heating the crystals. in a sealed cabinet with a low-wattage incandescent lightbulb. Thymol is no longer recommended for use because it dissolves oil paint, varnishes, and some printing inks. It yellows with age and may discolor or tarnish photographs.
http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Thymol

 

This is a problem with older reference materials, but I have to say that this book is full of warnings about the variability of ink and paper formulas and how a technique that works perfectly well here could result in damage there due to those variables. It helps if you know precisely what you dealing with down to the chemical composition.

Not likely in this case. So here the rules ought to be: keep it simple, and if you're not prepared for whatever you do going wrong, then don't do it.

(Some art conservation and restoration programs require a degree in chemistry as a prerequisite.)

 

Safe side cat litter with activated charcoal...

 

Ditto the charcoal.

Extraneous info: It's often used in environmental air sampling because it so readily absorbs many chemicals (then the chemicals are extracted from the charcoal by special methods so an air concentration can be calculated.) Whether this will work for mold odors, I'm not sure.

 

If the mold isn't killed, no matter what you do you can't eliminate the odor.

 

Peroxide will damage the paper. You won't see it right away but it will deteriorate. There are so many variables to consider before you do anything to paper. Most important,is knowing what kind of ink was used. There is a company called Talas, they sell professional restoration products. They might be able to suggest which product would be best.

A day in the sun will kill off mold on the pieces that aren't already heavily foxed but wait for warmer weather. One day on each side should do it.

Here is a link to Talas.

https://www.talasonline.com/

 

I feel the need to clarify what I said (see above) -- my mother was NOT dealing with mold of any sort in the refrigerator. I will share with you though that my mother's "nickname" among family members and long-time friends was "the cleaning fool" which was always lovingly said and lovingly meant.

 

Thanks for all the input everybody.

Do you guys think it's safe to store the card with my other postcards in the same box or am I just creating more risk? I keep all card in 2mil polypropylene sleeves as well.

 

If you are concerned about this card perhaps you could find a holder that is a bit more robust than the standard polypropylene sleeves and then try to seal it in some fashion to avoid cross contamination risks. Kind of like how currency third party graders seal notes in more rigid air-tight holders.

 

If it were me I would keep the moldy cards far away from any other paper items I own!!!!