New Odor Removal Process
NEW TREATMENTS AT MIDWEST FREEZE-DRY!
COST EFFECTIVE
ODOR REMOVAL
by Meggan King
"A series of early 18th century books was brought to our facility for treatment. They smelled like they had been stored in a gym locker for the past two and one half centuries!!!! Our proprietary odor treatment has removed the fowl odor
and makes handling the books possible again."
Odor is a common problem which can often be very difficult to deal with, especially when it involves large quantities of books, papers, documents and textiles. Bad odors in books, papers, documents and textiles can be a result of many different causes. Fungal
growth quite often results in musty odors which are common in library archives and old collections of books and documents. Articles which have been in a fire or even near a fire take on a burned smoke odor. Pets and other animals like skunks, cigarette smoke and cigar
smoke can also contribute to rather unpleasant odors. These odor problems may be
relatively easy to deal with on a small scale, but on a large scale they can seem altogether impossible.
On a small scale many odors can be removed by simply placing the documents, books, and papers into an airtight container with baking soda or charcoal for a few days. This restoration treatment however, does not work for all odors and it is certainly not possible to carry out on a large scale. Our new
cost effective restoration odor
removal process is capable of handling both small and large volumes of material.
We remove unwanted odors utilizing what we call “odor substitution”. Our cost effective restoration method uses a continual process of pressure changes, allowing the out-gassing of the unwanted odor. As the odor out-gasses it is swept out of our vacuum chamber thus creating a void – where the odor
used to be. This void is then filled with an inert gas.
Masking agents are often used to try and take care of problematic odors. The problem with a masking agent is it does just that, it “masks” or hides the odor, it will not remove it. Masking agents are often oil based and can leave a residue on the materials being treated. Masking agents can also trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals, such as runny noses and itchy watery eyes. A masking agent will also dissipate with time and it is possible that the original bad odor will return.
Our unique cost effective restoration process does not involve the use of ozone or masking agents. We actually remove the bad odor. Our cost effective process won’t leave any residues on your material or cause damage. We do not use ozone in any of our
processes because our research and other independent research has shown it degrades paper and causes fading, loss of tensile strength and consequently accelerated aging -cutting down the life expectancy of vellum books, papers books, documents, papers, archival records, art works and textiles. Our
new non ozone process has been used to treat numerous libraries, collections, legal documents and as an alternative to replacements in insurance claims.
This cost effective restoration process can be utilized for books, papers,
files, objects, textiles, documents, photographs, prints, drawings,
paintings, vellum books and leather books etc., the possibilities are endless.
REFERENCES
W.W. Lebensaft, and V.S. Salvin, "Ozone Fading of Anthraquinone Dyes on Nylon and Acetate." Tex.Chem.Color 4:7, 1972.
P. M. Whitmore, "The Ozone Fading of Traditional Japanese Colorants", Studies on Conservation 33, (1988), p 29 - 40.
C. R. Cass, J. R. Druzik, D. Grosjean, W. W. Naazaroff, P. M. Whitmore, C. L. Wittman, "Protection of Works of Art from Photochemical Smog" The Getty Conservation
Institute Scientific Report (June 1988).
C. L. Shaver, G.R.Cass, and J. R. Druzik, "Ozone and the Deterioration of Works of Art,"Environmental Science and Technology 17 (1983),748-752
T. D. Davies, B.Ramer,G.Kaspyzok, and A.C.Dellany, "Indoor Ozone/Outdoor Ozone Concentrations at a Contemporary Art Gallery," J.Air Pollution Control Assoc.,31(1984) 135-137.
J. C. Haylock, and J.L. Rush, "Studies on the Ozone Fading of Anthraquinone Dyes on Nylon Fibers,"Textile Research Journal, (January, 1976) 1 - 8.
H. Schweppe, "Identification of Dyes on Old Textiles," J. American Institute for Conservation, 19 (1980), 14 - 23.
H. M. Heuvel, R. Huisman, and H. M. Schmidt "Ozone fading of Blue 3 on Nylon 6 Fibers, The Influence of Physical Fiber Properties, " " Textile Research Journal, (July 1978), 376 - 377.
Y. K. Kamath, S. B. Ruetsch, and H. D. Weigmann "Microspectrophotometric Study of Ozone Fading of Disperse Dyes in Nylon," "Textile Research Journal," (July 1983),
N. Liebergott, B. van Lierop, and A. Skothos "Ozone Bleaching Part 1"
"Tappi Journal ,Vol.75, No1, " ( January 1992 )
N. Liebergott, B. van Lierop, and A. Skothos "Ozone Bleaching Part 2"
"Tappi Journal ,Vol.75, No1, " ( Feruary 1992 )
Non Chemical Odor Removal schools, library, museums, archives and private collections.
