• Keep books out of direct sunlight. Sunlight will fade the colors of the book, mostly the spine but actually any area that is exposed can be affected.
• Keep your books dry. Humidity and dampness produce mold, which can cause permanent damage to a book. Exposure to water will also cause a "ripple effect" and deform the book. If at all possible, run your air conditioner or a dehumidifier in your library if you're in a humid climate. If a book does get wet, a hair dryer can be a valuable emergency tool for drying. Some even find it effective on beginning mildew.
• Extreme hot or cold temperatures are not good for your books, but heat is worse, especially in a humid climate. Do your best to keep the air in and around your books dry and cool.

• Keep bugs away from your books. Some bugs like to eat them; others will leave their marks.
• Keep pets away from your books. Cats have a habit of leaving their mark on books which would be nearly impossible to remove. Dogs love to chew and slobber and yes, even parakeets like to pick away at paper!
• Keep children (and immature adults!) away from your books especially your prized ones. Books should be handled carefully with clean hands and not tossed about.

• Preferably, books should be stored upright on your shelves and use book ends so the books don't topple over.
  
• Don't lay other books on top of them.
• If you have to store your books in a garage or attic, remember, try to keep your books dry and cool. A climate controlled environment would be ideal and store them in airtight, acid-free containers if possible.

• Read your books with clean hands, preferably not while you're eating messy foods like cheese curls or chocolate ice cream...albeit tempting. 
• Use paper or cover stock bookmarks. Please don't fold the pages down; don't leave the book open and upside-down; don't mark your place with a paper clip.
• Don't write your name (or anything else) in your books. If you have to use bookplates, use nice, custom-made ones.
• Put your dust jackets in protective dust jacket covers. Dust jackets protect and improve the look (and value) of books. Brodart has wonderful supplies to protect (and clean) your books.
• Don't forget to gently dust your books occasionally, using a feather duster or a dry, unused paint brush with soft bristles. You may want to remove any dust jackets before dusting to prevent any damage to the edges.
  
• If you loan your books, loan them to people who care about books as much as you do. Don't be shy. Mention that you don't mind loaning a book as long as they don't mind returning it! And...in the same condition they received it!

• Paper and Matte Finished Dust Jackets: For a matte finished dust jacket and pages which are dirty, try a document cleaning pad. This is a small cloth bag filled with eraser dust. You twist the bag a bit to loosen some dust, and then rub that around gently on the surface of the jacket with your clean fingers, a soft brush or use the pad itself to rub the surface. This should remove any dust and grime which isn’t actually ground in.
• Glossy Dust Jackets: Use Windex, or some other glass cleaner. Spray a bit on a soft clean cloth just enough to dampen, and wipe carefully. Do not spray directly on jacket! (Note from Dale: I have found Purell hand sanitizer to be very effective when cleaning glossy dust jackets)
• Cloth Bindings: Vulcanized rubber sponges normally used for cleaning up after fires which work very well for cleaning the bindings. They are safe, as there are no chemicals involved.
• Dust: Dust on the top edge of the pages can be removed with a vacuum cleaner using the soft brush attachment. First turn the book upside down so the dust won’t sift between the pages, then remove the dust jacket before vacuuming.
• Oil or Grease Stains: To minimize oil or grease stains to pages, place absorbent paper towels between the pages, close book, and place under weight. Leave it like this for several days.
• Adhesives: Can be difficult to remove. Price stickers on glossy dust jackets should come off with a careful application of Un-du adhesive remover or lighter fluid, and the very cautious use of a thin flat knife like a palette knife or very thin butter knife.
• Musty Odor: Possible solutions to the problem, which would require placing the book and the substance together in a closed container or zip-lock bag for 12 hours to 2 weeks are:

      Unscented Kitty Litter
      Coffee
      Cloves
      White Vinegar
      Woodruff
      Lysol
      Baking Soda
      Charcoal
      Cedar Chips/Shavings