How to Clean Books

Books can often gather dust or spills from food depending on where we are using them.

Dusting bookshelves –

For this task it’s best to use a feather duster or a vacuum with a soft brush attachment.
Second to this is damp-dusting your books by wiping a cloth damped in water that has be thoroughly wrung out over the books and following by drying them with a dry cloth.

Damp-dusting is a good method for removing food spills or fingerprints. A solution of soapy water can be made for harder to clean spills (a bucket of water mixed with 125 ml of mild detergent).


Soft cover books can be cleaned using a soft vinyl eraser to rub away the griminess. Be careful with this method as you can erase away colorful inks if done too vigorously.

Note – test these methods first on a small inconspicuous area.

How to Clean Leather-bound Books –

It’s best to be gentle with these as good maintenance can keep a leather-bound book in good nick for generations.

Remove dust by wiping the volumes with a soft dry cloth or a vacuum with a soft brush attachment.

It is best to avoid leather cleaners as oils based cleaners can darken or worse stain leather covers. Another danger is that once oil is applied books that are tightly wedged into a bookshelf are at risk of developing mould. Always take advice from an expert before purchasing a leather book cleaner.