Dear Sun Spots: I need help finding homes for a large number of books (8 or more boxes, several plastic tubs of fabric, and clothing, petite size 8-12.

There are both hard and soft-cover non-fiction books on a wide variety of topics and hardcover fiction from the 30s to early 60s. There are also college text books from the 70s, and more.

There’s a lot of polyester fabric, but there are cottons and blends as well. Much of the clothing was made by my mom, who was a fantastic seamstress. There are pants, blazer-style and other jackets, blouses, and coats, as well as a few dresses and skirts. Some styles date to the 70s, but much of it is timeless. There’s also office wear and dressier pieces of name-brand clothing.

All these items have been stored in an unheated, unoccupied house for nine years and smell musty. However, there is no mold, mildew or other damage. My mom was also a smoker, but after washing, I’ve been able to wear some of these items and they’re okay.

I don’t want to throw these things out. I’ll take them to Goodwill if that’s my best option, but if anyone has any interest, or ideas for places I might call, please email me at [email protected].

–Heather, Auburn

ANSWER: A few ideas come to mind, and as always, readers, please chime in.

I think you’ll meet with more success in finding new homes for these items if you take the time to get everything clean and smelling fresh. Launder everything you can, adding white vinegar or baking soda to your washing machine and hang it all on the line, if available.

There are simple, inexpensive ways to eradicate odors from books. One way is to place them in a plastic container with kitty litter and baking soda, close the lid, and leave them in there for a week or so. Once the dampness and odor is removed, your local library may be interested in the books for their collection or may want to sell them at their annual book sale or in their used book store. They may also be able to recommend a book seller, as vintage volumes could be collectors’ items. You might want to try selling the books on-line through any number of sites, but your books need to be in decent condition and odor-free.

There are also artists and craftspeople who re-purpose books by using the covers to create journals. They also use pages for origami, paintings, mobiles, and more.

The fabric and clothes could be offered to an artist co-op, quilters guild, a homeless shelter, vintage consignment shop, a theater group, a childcare center or elementary school for dress-up…my daughter once surprised me with a beautiful and meaningful quilt made from all the dresses I had sewn her when she was a child.

I hope these ideas get everyone’s creative wheels turning and that you get lots of emails, Heather. Please report back to us!

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