Minnesota Historical Society Books should be kept clean. This will significantly extend their useful life. Cleaning should be done on a regular basis, with the frequency of cleaning determined by how rapidly dust and dirt accumulate in book storage areas. It is important to note that cleaning itself may damage fragile bindings, which may not be able to withstand the handling required to clean them.
Judgment needs to be used in deciding when to clean books.
The organization of a cleaning project and the procedures used to clean books and shelves will vary depending upon several factors. What follows here is a general discussion of basic cleaning procedures. To reduce the amount of dust and dirt that accumulates on books and shelving, floors in book storage areas should be kept as clean as possible. Floors should be vacuumed regularly. Sweeping is discouraged because it tends to stir up and scatter dirt.