Book Cleaning

Collect your needed supplies. Set them up in a well lit, comfortable work area.
Check the book over and mentally list all the areas to be cleaned. You can bookmark them, or perhaps list them if there are multiple soiled areas. This step helps you to get every spot the first time and will minimize the trauma to an older, more fragile book.
Check to see if the cover, back, or spine needs to be cleaned first.
Place the book on your padded work area.
Follow the directions for proper use of your book cleaning compound.
Carefully and gently clean the outside of your book first and place it back on your padded work area. Do the spine edge first, proceed to the gutters, and then go across the covers to the edges. Take care to avoid lifting any layers of covering such as leather corners or glued on insets.
Gently leaf through the book and look for soiled pages. Mark them with a book mark or list them for later reference so you avoid handling the book any more than absolutely necessary.
When cleaning the pages, beware of the tendency of older paper to tear. This is how you gently clean the pages:

Hold the cleaning cloth or tissue lightly.
Do not "scrub" a page. Move in one direction only, not back and forth.
Wipe it lightly in horizontal strokes from the spine edge to the outer edge.
After the first page is clean, continue leafing through the book for subsequent dirty pages to be cleaned

Clorox wipes are great for use on the cover. These can be used on leather, paper, plastic, and wood. Let it dry completely.
Many musty smells can be eliminated with dryer sheets between pages. They should be left there for several days, depending upon the amount of smell.
Your cleaning cloth or tissue should be only lightly damp. A very damp cloth or tissue can allow cleaning fluid to seep into the page, causing water damage and possible smudging of the text.
A soft, cotton cloth will hold grime well. Tissues are better for older or more delicate pages, but you can choose for yourself.
To remove goo and bugs, take a plastic knife or Painters pallet knife and slowly move horizontally towards the middle of the bug or goo mound without ripping the page. If the goo or bug is squished onto the page, use some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to loosen it and remove the excess
Use only enough rubbing alcohol to get rid of the goo or bug. If you leak the rubbing alcohol onto the book it could ruin the book!
Take care that the plastic knife doesn't damage the page!
you will need

Soft cloth rag
Something to protect your work surface from the book and vice versa – an old heavy towel works well.
Book cleaning compound - available from DEMCO Inc. (Madison, WI) or other Library Supply co

To add to what Graciela said; if the books are musty smelling after cleaning following her instructions, place books is a box with wrapped bars of Irish Spring for 7-10 days. My friend is a librarian and swears by these methods!

Cloth diapers make the very best dust rags ever. If dusting them off gently all over doesn't work the way you want, I'd suggest using a professional. Call any book store or library and ask about professional book cleaning. They will be able to help you. Good luck! B.

I would probably try running the vacuum hose over them with the brush on it...? I would also use a cloth to wipe down the outside of the books. Have a wonderful Monday!!
C.

Contact your local library. There used to be a book soap made out of cactus that was used to clean the books. Perhaps they know where you can get it or have some that they can give you. I used to clean the books when I worked at the library in the summer many years back The other S.

I would use one of those microfiber dusting cloths. They can be found at Walmart, Target, most dollar stores and most grocery stores. They should clean almost all dust off of the books and will not damage at all.