Three weeks ago, I discovered something every book lover dreads—an older book covered in active, white fuzzy mold in the Children’s Room of my library. It was nestled in a frequently used picture book sleeve, and the sight of it sent me into action. I quickly disposed of the book, cleaned all the nearby ones, and ran an ozone machine to sanitize the room. But the next day, I found two more moldy books in a different section of the room. That's when I knew we had a bigger issue on our hands.
After some investigating, we uncovered the root of the problem. We have two ceiling vents in the Children’s Room, both right next to the door leading to the kitchenette. In an effort to conserve energy, we usually close those vents in the summer to avoid cooling an already cold basement. Unfortunately, the wet August weather combined with the heat caused condensation to collect on these vents. The condensation dripped behind the kitchenette, allowing mold to grow on the particleboard backing and spread spores to nearby books. Thankfully, because we frequently move the kitchenette to access the outlet for the vacuum, we caught it relatively early.
Here’s what we did to tackle the situation:
- Disposed of all infected books to prevent further contamination.
- Emptied every shelf in the room—a total reset! We cleaned the shelves thoroughly.
- Cleaned over 2,200 books and took the opportunity to update them with uniform barcodes and stickers for easier cataloging.
- Replaced the particleboard backing on the kitchenette, and my 17-year-old stepped in to sand, refinish, and paint the entire unit to prevent future mold growth.
- Swapped out wooden baskets for wipeable white plastic ones, making it easier to maintain cleanliness moving forward.
- Ran the ozone machine six times over two weeks to eliminate any lingering spores.
- Upgraded our dehumidifiers to a larger, more efficient model to control moisture levels more effectively.
- Reorganized the Children’s Room, making it easier for our young readers to find their next favorite book, and labeled the shelves for clarity.
All told, my kids and I spent 10-12 hours a day for over two weeks working to clean and restore the room. We invested over $400 in new baskets, supplies, and materials to refurbish the kitchenette. It was exhausting work—certainly not how I imagined starting the school year—but ultimately, I’m grateful for the chance to improve the space.
And to make sure this doesn't happen again, I bought two wifi-enabled hygrometers that track humidity levels and send me notifications if they rise above 55%. Library life is hard, but it's worth it!
Phew. Mold crisis averted, room refreshed, and new measures in place!