Freezing Books Kills Pests, Says Huntington Library Conservator
Kristi Westberg, interim head of preservation at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, has endorsed freezing as an effective method to eliminate pests from books. This technique gained popularity after author Logan Spurgeon, known for "Hinterland" and "Sourwood," shared his experiences of freezing thrift store books to remove unpleasant odors. Spurgeon highlighted the importance of inspecting interiors for pests, such as book lice. While some questioned the method's efficacy, Westberg supports its utility. An article in The New York Times on October 10, 2026, underscored the significance of prevention against infestations from secondhand book sources.
Key facts
- Kristi Westberg is interim head of preservation and conservation at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
- Freezing is an effective way to deal with bugs in books, according to Westberg.
- Logan Spurgeon is the author of "Hinterland" and "Sourwood."
- Spurgeon started freezing books after bringing several home from a thrift store with a noticeable smell.
- He found advice to check between pages and near the binding for evidence of book lice and to freeze books to kill pests, which also remedied odors.
- Spurgeon posted a video about the practice, which received unexpected attention.
- Some viewers were encountering the idea of book lice for the first time; others debated whether freezing would work.
- Book lice, silverfish, and mold can infest books; preventive measures are suggested for books from garage sales, secondhand stores, stoops, or Little Free Libraries.
- The source article was published by The New York Times on October 10, 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Logan Spurgeon
- Kristi Westberg
Institutions
- Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens
- The New York Times
- Little Free Library
Locations
- San Marino
- California
- United States