Any book enthusiast knows the frustration of discovering a damaged cover, a ripped page, or a crinkled book jacket. Add a sprinkle of OCD to the mix, and the sight could spiral you into a panic.
Moving is inevitably stressful. Most people stress about their antiques or jewelry, but for the ultimate book-obsessed reader, it’s all about protecting your precious collection of novels. If you’re a book collector and truly cherish your books and do all you can to keep them in good condition, this blog is for you. Here are 11 tips from our professional packers to safeguard your favorite books.
1. Streamline the Collection
We never suggest moving your collection, but which books do you need? It’s hard to let go, but some books must move on to someone else who will enjoy them. This applies to one-timer books you’ll probably never read again or books you didn’t love. Go through your book collection and decide what’s staying and going. Start this process way before packing day so you can take your time.
2. Group Them by Size
Now that you’ve streamlined your collection and made some hard decisions, it’s time to organize all the books you’ll take to your new home with you. Books come in different sizes, which may create beauty on your bookshelf, but playing Tetris with them is an absolute pain when you’re trying to pack them in boxes.
Organizing them by size may be the best way to stay organized. Put them in separate piles according to size, making the packing process much less stressful.
3. Pack Early
You don’t need most of your books daily, so you can pack them up early to cross that task off the list. Books may take a while to pack because they are heavy and require multiple high-quality boxes and strategic placement. You should not leave this task till the last minute.
4. Stick to Small Boxes
It doesn’t take many books to make a box feel heavy, and 30-50 books in a box may not look like much until you try to pick up the box and throw your back out.
Pack your books in small boxes to keep the weight low. Aim for less than 40 pounds per box. Trust us on this one.
5. Utilize Rolling Suitcases
Boxes are the traditional way to pack, but rolling suitcases are great for transporting books. Genius, right? They have a lot of space, are sturdy, and, best of all, they have wheels.
6. Pack by Weight
Some books are more dense than others. We’re looking at you, Harry Potter Collection. You’ve organized the books by size; now it’s time to disperse the weight evenly. Put the heavier books on the bottom, the medium-weight books in the middle, and your lightest books on top. This will ensure protection for your most delicate books.
7. Consider Packing Positions
We recommend these three packing positions:
- Flat and on their backs: This makes sense for stacking, especially if all the books are similar in size and fit nicely inside the box.
- Standing up: This refers to how your books stand on your bookshelf, with their spine facing the walls of the boxes.
- Spine down: Choosing a spine down where the spines are against the bottom of the box helps to keep the pages from getting damaged.
8. Fill All Gaps
Sometimes you can pack just right so there are no gaps, but most of the time, there are gaps between books in your box. If that’s the case, you’ll want to fill all the holes with packing materials such as packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Or, for a money saver, fill the gaps with clothes, towels, or rags.
9. Use Double Layers of Tape on Top and Bottom
Seal the top and bottom of your box with extra layers of tape so your books don’t break through when someone picks up the box. If you’re using a rolling suitcase, all you have to do is make sure it’s zipped up.
10. Make sure to Label
Don’t forget to label your boxes. Label what is inside your boxes and which end is which. It never hurts to mark the box as fragile to ensure moving helpers handle the box with care. Consider adding arrows to distinguish the top and bottom and writing weight warnings.
11. Keep a Couple of Books Out
Sometimes it takes longer than you think to unpack all your boxes. Can you go that long without reading any book at all? Keep one or two books out so you have something to enjoy during any downtime.