How to Fix Wavy Book Pages

Co-authored by Kim Gillingham, MA and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: November 22, 2022

Wet book pages have a tendency to dry into wavy, folded patterns that can make them hard to read. If you accidentally got your favorite book wet or left it in a humid area, you don’t have to go out and buy a new one! Instead, you can spend a few days making sure your book is really dry and then flattening it out to restore its pages and make your book readable again.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Drying Wet Pages

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1
Put your book in the freezer if you don’t have time to repair it now. If you need to wait a few days before starting to dry out your book, seal it in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer. This will stop any mold from growing and damaging your book pages further.^{[1]
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- Make sure the plastic bag is airtight so that your book doesn’t pick up any additional moisture from the freezer.
2
Blot the pages with a paper towel to make sure they are dry. Grab some paper towels and insert them between the pages of your book every 10 to 20 pages. Press down on the book to soak up any residual moisture that might be left in the pages.^{[2]
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- Drying the book beforehand will make sure the pages don’t stick together.
- If your book has any mold on the pages, gently brush off any topical mold spores with a clean cloth and then set your book in the sun to dry out.
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3
Open up your book and stand it on its side. Carefully open your book pages up until your book is open at a 45-degree angle. Stand it up on a towel so that the pages stay fanned out. Use caution, as your book might be fragile.^{[3]
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- Wet or water damaged books are prone to falling apart, so it’s important to be careful when you handle them.
4
Point a fan at the pages to dry it out overnight. Put the fan on low so that it doesn’t ruffle the pages of your book too much. Leave your book with a fan pointed at it for 8 to 12 hours to ensure that it dries out all the way.^{[4]
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- You can also set up a dehumidifier to dry out the pages even more, if you have one.
5
Sandwich your book in between 2 boards. You can use whatever scrap wood you have on hand as long as it covers the book completely. Lay the book on its side with one board underneath it and one on top.^{[5]
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- Plywood is a great wood to use for sandwiching your book, since it’s pretty thin.
Make sure they are centered on the top board so your book is getting even pressure. You can also use cinder blocks if you don’t have any bricks.^{[6]
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Alternative: If you have access to a book press, use that instead of heavy objects.
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Point a fan or dehumidifier at your book to dry it out. As your book is being pressed, you can dry it out even more by circulating the air around it. Make sure you turn off any humidifiers in your home and close the windows so that your book stays cool and dry. Turn on a fan or a dehumidifier and place it in front of your book as it dries.^{[7]
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- Try to keep your book out of the direct sunlight so that it doesn’t get too hot.
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Leave your book for 1 to 2 days. Try not to disturb your book as it flattens out. Keep the heavy objects on top of the book for as long as you can.^{[8]
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- If your book is still wavy, you can try leaving it pressed for longer.
If you can, try to put your book in between 2 book ends or a few other books so that it is being continually pressed flat. This will help flatten out the pages more and make sure your book pages stay in their new shape.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Flattening Pages with Heat

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1
Spray a fine mist of water over the pages of your book. If your book has already been dry for a while, use a water bottle to get it slightly damp again. Make sure all of the pages are damp, but don’t soak your book in water.^{[10]
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- If you don’t have a spray bottle, use a clean paint brush to dab water onto the book pages instead.
2
Set your iron to the “no steam” setting. This will ensure that your iron doesn’t add any more moisture to the book. Let your iron heat up for about 5 minutes before you start using it.^{[11]
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- If you have an ironing board, you can set that up as well. Otherwise, you can make a small workstation on your table or counter top.
The tissue will help to protect the book page from any heat damage. If you don’t have any tissues, you can also use a sheet of plain white paper.^{[12]
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Warning: Never put your iron directly onto the pages of your book, or it could burn.
4
Swipe your iron quickly over the tissue. Gently press your iron onto the tissue over your book and move it in a circular motion. Leave your iron on the tissue for about 3 seconds, then quickly pick it back up.^{[13]
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- Don’t leave your iron on top of the book pages for too long, or you could burn your book.
Although it may take a while, this is the best way to flatten out each and every page of your book. Try to do each page at a time, because the iron won’t be hot enough to flatten out 2 pages at once.^{[14]
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Tips

The sooner you start drying and pressing your book, the better it will look.

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Your book may never look how it did originally, but you can restore it partly.

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