WELCOME
Save money by cleaning your own comic books with basic
office supplies or cleaning supplies. Most supplies
can be purchased directly on Amazon or eBay to save
time, money, and shipping costs. Start small with some
cheap dollar bin comic books or reader copies. I have
provided links for easy re-ordering, and for clarification
on materials required in this free visual FAQ guide.
WHAT IS COMIC
BOOK DRY CLEANING?
Comic book dry cleaning is the process of removing stains
or production roller marks using no harsh chemicals
or solvents. Comics can get stains on them from time,
aging, mildew, rust mitigation, crayons, pen marks,
pencil marks, date stamps, or other hazards along the
test of time. Many of these cannot be removed. Good
news: some of the more common concerns can be safely
removed. The idea is simple: to clean the comic book
as if nothing ever happened to the book. This makes
the overall grade and eye appeal of the book increase
considerably. Comic book dry cleaning is not restoration,
more like comic book conservation. The difference can
sometimes mean thousands of dollars when discussing
high dollar key comic books.
This guide like my other one will require countless
hours of patience, practice and time. Click on any
photo to zoom to full size and see all its glory before
you.
MATERIALS
NEEDED FOR CLEANING COMIC BOOKS
Most materials can be purchased on Amazon
or Ebay. Buy your SRP paper and backer boards in bulk
to save money where needed. Absorene Putty lasts a long
time as long as you keep the tub sealed airtight when
not in use. Please
refer to our product links page for recommended products.
DRY CLEANING
COMIC BOOK TOOLBOX
Use all the tools in your toolbox for
dry cleaning comics. This ranges from non-invasive to
more aggressive stages of comic book dry cleaning.

The comic book dry cleaning tools used to safely and
effectively clean comics. These products are highly recommended
for cleaning comics.
You will use many different products to
clean comics. These are the main tools you will need to
use. All of these products should be used gently and lightly.
Small circular motions, back and forth, left to right,
diagonally. Try different light motions to see which motion
will effectively lift a light stain or debris from comic
book covers.
Here is a full list of tools from left to right, row by
row:
Blotter Paper
Absorene Eraser Pad
Makeup remover Cotton Ovals
Makeup remover Cotton Rounds
Toungue Depressor / Craft Sticks
Number 2 Pencils with White soft eraser caps
UV Black Light Flashlight
Pocket handheld pen flashlight
Q-Tips
Small flathead screwdriver
1.5" Ball Bearing or Massage Roller Ball
Jeweler's Loupe
Dentail Picks and Dental Mirror
Plastic Erasers
Sea Sponge
Kneaded Eraser
Absorene Book Cleaner Putty
Kleenex Small Lotion Free Tissues
Infared IR Thermometer Gun
Mr Clean Magic Erasers in various cube sizes cut
Hangar 9 Tack Iron
Also, worthy of consideration is Swiffer brand
dry mop dust sheets as cleaning pads. This product
is great and will safely lift most dirt and grime layers
off comic books. Try it!

My dry cleaning toolbox of various tools and cleaners.
My most widely used items I placed inside a metal storage
tin. The other less used items or items that take up space
I placed in a larger plastic storage container. Take notice
of the ball bearing, magnifying glass, jeweler's loop,
kneaded eraser, natural sea sponges, pencils with eraser
tops, UV blacklight flashlight, Absorene putty, and two
Absorene book cleaner pads.
DRY CLEANING
COMICS IN STAGES
What I do is approach every book with
cautious cleaning tactics first, to see what is effective
with the least effort. Less invasive first, to a more
increased aggressive cleaning stage each time, to see
what works. I like to start small, slowly increasing my
efforts:
First, start by carefully chipping or scraping away
gunk, boogers, candy, or mud with a dental pick. Press
down staples flat with a putty knife or flathead screwdriver.
Those 2 are priority before you begin dry cleaning:
Start small and work your way down the
list one-by-one as needed:
1. Swiffer Dust Sheets, Lotion free tissue, or a cotton
round from beauty department
2. Pencil Eraser Head Top + Absorene Book Cleaner Pad
(for cleaning eraser top)
3. Unscented Dryer Sheet with eraser head as a "handle"
4. Unscented Paper Towel with eraser head as a "handle"
5. Absorene Eraser Pad
6. Absorene Book Cleaner Putty
7. Unscented/untreated original Mr Clean Magic Eraser
1" cube
8. Natural sea sponges
And if you alternate all of them together
you will yield better results. For instance, go back and
forth between the magic eraser and absorene book cleaner
putty along the spine to clean out all the dirt that gets
pushed into the trenches of the creases.
The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is harsh and should be used
lightly on light colored or white colored covers and avoid
red/black/yellow if you can. Use a dental pick and scraper
to carefully lift and place tears or folds where they
should be before pressing or cleaning.
As long as the book is not brittle or
rigid… Look for corner flaps and tears that need to be
set in place. This step should be done first while the
book is dry and not under any heat or pressure. You will
use a dental pick and scraper for this step. If the book
is too brittle or old, then you should use the humidity
chamber approach after cleaning the covers instead.
It may be tempting to just use your fingernail,
but could potentially rip or tear the crease worse. Dirt
and oil under your fingernails could get trapped in the
paper fibers as well. Golden age books are very forgiving
with corner flaps and minor tears.
You want to do this step first before
cleaning or pressing. This step is important to try to
inspect the book carefully and turn each page for inspection.
You are also looking for cutouts, missing pages, and missing
centerfolds during this stage.

Absorene Dirt Eraser Pads are the greatest
tool to start with dry cleaning the cover of your book.
Get
one here at this link on Amazon.
DRY CLEANING
COMIC BOOK TIPS
First start off wiping the cover with a cotton round,
lotion free kleenex tissues, or a Swiffer wipe. Use a
dental pick and scraper to carefully lift and place tears
or folds where they should be before pressing or cleaning.
For dry cleaning, it’s always best to start in a non-aggressive
manner, so start small with just a simple clean eraser
from a Number 2 pencil. I also use eraser tops as well.
You will need to clean your pencil eraser often as you
lift the dirt and oils from your comic book.



Cleaning a book should be approached in
stages. Starting with latex rubber gloves, use a dental
pick for lifting up folds and creases. Do this first.
Lightly dust off and wipe the surface clean lightly with
a lotion free Kleenex, dust cloth, or a can of compressed
air. Try using a regular unsharpened #2 pencil eraser
end to remove light staining on cover. This noninvasive
method is recommended before using anything else.

My #1 favorite tool
in the toolbox: Helix brand white polymer eraser cap tops.
Use the Absorense Eraser Pad to clean
your pencil eraser top.
Next, if you have an Absorene Dirt Eraser
Pad, wipe this across the surface of both front and back
covers. Use the eraser pad lightly, let the weight of
the pad be the only pressure as you gently glide it across
the cover surface to remove dirt and oil.

Dirt and oil grime from production on
a brand new modern age marvel 1:1000 retailer incentive
copy of Venom #1 (2018)

(After) Dirt and oil grime removed from
production on a brand new modern age marvel 1:1000 retailer
incentive copy of Venom #1 (2018) Using a simple pencil
eraser top.
So this is a pretty big secret,
even if you don’t press comics! You can clean
most comic book covers in this manner, regardless if you
are pressing the book or not! You don’t need a press in
order to perform this method.

Use Absorene putty next to delicately
lift dirt and oils. You roll lightly and gently across
the surface to remove and clean the paper at its fibers.
If you do not have Absorene, try using a regular pencil
eraser or a gum kneaded eraser. You will have to knead
and work in the eraser until it becomes soft like the
Absorene. Never rub the kneaded eraser, always blot or
push downwards then lift upwards with straight up and
down motions. Never use the kneaded gum eraser sideways
or against the paper grain. Most of the time, 90% of the
time, the pencil eraser and absorene eraser pad will do
most of the work for you. If you cannot lift a stain,
that’s okay – just remember we are not restoring comic
books.

Go slow with the Absorene around corners
and tears. You should place a perpendicular mylite2+fullback
against your hand so that you do not lift up the cover
or page being cleaned.
HOW TO USE
ABSORENE PUTTY
Absorene comes inside a small plastic storage tub. It
looks and feels like Play-doh. You want to take small
1/2″ cubes and roll it across the surface of your book
covers and pages for dry chemical free cleaning. You will
roll very lightly with light pressure as you roll “logs”
across the surface being cleaned. I also have great results
with warming the book up in the press for 5 minutes on
each side on low heat at 150 degrees. When using the Absorene,
take great care along cover edges and corners or you will
lift up the cover unexpectedly and cause a crease. Worse
yet, if you go too fast due to being impatient with your
time – you can cause a rip and tear the cover. It helps
tremendously to use backer boards to the left and right
of the areas being rolled with Absorene. Try it to see
if this works for you.
ABSORENE
BOOK CLEANER PUTTY WARNING
Absorene Book Cleaner Putty should be used only on older
books with covers that are not glossy or shiny. Avoid
modern comic books with paper thin covers. The putty can
easily rub into the book cover and cause severe and permanent
damage. This is why I would suggest trying a pencil eraser
or kneaded eraser on Modern Age books, instead. The Absorene
Book Cleaner Putty works best on Silver Age, Copper Age,
Dark Age and even most Bronze Age books. Any book produced
after the year 2000 should be tested out on a reader copy
first when considering the Absorene Putty. See below:

2018 Marvel Comics VENOM #3 San Diego
Comic Con Exclusive
USING MR
CLEAN MAGIC ERASERS AND ABSORENE TOGETHER
Cut 1″ cubes of Mr Clean Magic Eraser to alternate from
Absorene and Eraser along spines. Never reuse a magic
eraser cube. Apply firm but gentle pressure against book.
Erasers are best used for white or light covers. Avoid
red and black with the magic eraser!

For small spaces or around dark print
area, use a pencil eraser with a tiny torn off piece of
clean magic eraser material. Use the pencil as a hand
tool to better control the magic eraser around corners,
spines, or red/black/yellow print area.
Magic Erasers are great for white rear
covers or white front covers. Warning: Black, Red and
Yellow ink are easily lifted off the cover with the Magic
Eraser! Use a Mr. Clean magic eraser very carefully. Always
cut fresh 1” cubes with scissors. If you try to keep re-using
the same magic eraser, you will start rubbing dirt into
all the crease lines of comics, which creates new dark
crease lines and makes the visual appeal start to drop
significantly, so be warned about the magic eraser! Use
this product with light pressure. Never use circular swirls
when trying to lift up staining with a magic eraser. Make
swift light strokes in one direction, never back and forth,
and never in swirls. This will take time. Do not wax on
and wax off. You only wax one way. You do not want to
send the very same dirt lifted up from the magic eraser
into a crease line crevice or crack on cover.

For small spaces or around dark print
area, use a pencil eraser with a tiny torn off piece of
clean magic eraser material. Use the pencil as a hand
tool to better control the magic eraser around corners,
spines, or red/black/yellow print area.
This is why you should alternate with
the Absorene and the Magic Eraser. After using the Magic
Eraser, it causes white powder dust shavings filled with
dirt and oil. Even using a new Magic Eraser cube will
push those shavings and dust back into the cracks and
crevices of the spine being worked on. You will need to
blow the dust away with a can of air. Alternate and use
the Absorene to clean the area just cleaned with the Magic
Eraser. Back and forth. Patience is key. Sometimes it
feels like the Absorene just isn’t working but it is.
Keep at it and you will eventually start to see staining
and other debris being lifted slowly. It takes time to
figure this one out. The magic eraser is very forgiving
on white or light covers. However, use extreme caution
using this technique on all black covers or very dark
covers. The magic eraser does lift ink! Because of this,
most professionals do not advise using a Mr Clean Magic
Eraser. Most will suggest to use Absorene, because it
is actually made for cleaning historical documents and
archival paper such as the Library of Congress. If you
are just starting out and learning the whole process,
try using these products on some cheap books first to
get a feel of the process. Remember, this is just a guide
for beginners!

Before and after back cover photos of
upper right corner dirt oil buildup along a staple bump.
Magic Eraser and Absorene did wonders to this corner with
minimal effort to lift the staining.

Before and after back cover photos of
upper right corner dirt oil buildup along a staple bump.
Magic Eraser and Absorene did wonders to this corner with
minimal effort to lift the staining.
REMOVING
STICKERS OR TAPE RESIDUE FROM COMIC BOOKS
Try using some "Goo Gone" (https://amzn.to/2KWZPmq)
or "Un-Du" (https://amzn.to/31MeuYx)
to remove the remaining sticker flux residue. Try the
Goo Gone first. What you want to do is take a Q-Tip and
very lightly dip the Q-Tip in the Goo Gone or Un-Du and
squeeze the product out of the Q-Tip with your fingers
so there is a very light amount remaining. Use your Q-Tip
now over the sticker flux and lightly move the Q-Tip in
clockwise and counter-clockwise circular swirls. Do not
press down hard or firmly. Only use the weight of your
wrist and elbow. When you are finished, if the sticker
flux is not completely removed, use a Kleexex facial tissue
and wipe completely dry. Repeat if there is still some
sticker flux remaining. Go slow, start small, work the
flux out of the book cover very lightly and faintly. Wipe
everything down completely dry with a kleexex or swiffer
dry sweeper dust sheet. I've done this method on card
backers for toys, plastic bubble blister packs, and comic
books.
JOIN US
There is a dedicated Facebook Group called "KaptainMyke
Comic Book Pressing" for anyone to join and contribute
ideas open for discussion. Ask questions about this guide
or show off your own books! Anyone is welcome to join.
I firmly believe the spread of accurate free information
will help us all keep books preserved and conserved. You
may find the Facebook Group at this link here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kaptainmykecomicpressing
CONCLUSION
Try to be non-invasive with your books. Start small and
work your way up to more aggressive tactics when removing
stubborn stains or writing. These tips will hopefully
save you money, and guide you along the way as YOU learn
and pick up new ideas and better ways to accomplish things.
I've had a number of people ask me via
email if I have a paypal account for sending donations
as a way of saying "thanks" for the continuing
efforts of this "living document" teaching people
how to safely press comic books. This is not required
by any means, but if you feel compelled to do so, you
may send a donation to this link: https://bit.ly/2SMgWOM
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