How do you dry a treasured book that got soaking wet?

carefully. some we stuck in kitty litter, but i suspect the white crystals variety will be less messy. others were freeze dried. mold mildew is possibility. you may end up copying each page and putting it in a notebook.

https://penandthepad.com/repair-paperback-book-got-wet-7347249.html

have you ever pulled out food stuff from the freezer that has a freezer burn on it? its dehydrated from the extreme cold. its a cleaner method than the litter. sprinkle the kitty litter through out the book, change daily id use the gel crystals..they are clear and should not mar the book. rescued more than a few books from flood water.

before it thaws brush off the ice crystals, and yes you may have to freeze it again.

Keep it in the deep freeze for a month or so and then check on it. You want it totally dry with no mold, mildew. Brush off the water crystals if they appear.

place pieces of waxed paper between each wet page. Allow to dry out naturally. Do not hasten by putting it on heat.

You could also page by page blot up excess moisture with a paper towel(s) Is the moisture water or what? Then do the waxed paper process. The pages will dry.

freeze drying as in freezer burn. the cold can dehydrate foods freezer burn is the common name for it. ever open a package of a frozen meal and the edges look dry? its freezer burn. stick the book in the freezer, check on it in a few weeks. it may take a bit to freeze dry. we tried heat at a low setting but mold set in. the flood of 93 was very educational.

yes the clay absorbs a lot of different things other than cat wiz. spilled oil or gas and it does pick up water as well. im not so sure about the clear crystal type have some in the micro wave at the moment warming up to test its water holding properties. stick with the clay.