If you love books you probably have a big book collection. And you care about it and don’t want your books to get damaged. Whatever the reason might be for packing and storing your books, whether you are renovating or moving, you need to do it properly. And it can be hard packing and storing a book collection due to how heavy and sensitive they are. It is important to pack and store a book collection properly to avoid damage. And if you are moving your movers DMV can help you with that too. Either way, you should take your time to do it properly. And here is some advice on how to do it.
Make an inventory before packing and storing a book collection
The last thing you want to do is to have to go through all your books and boxes to find that one book that you are looking for. Or to worry that you have lost some book during the whole packing process. There are many reasons why making an inventory before you pack and store a book collection is important, and these are just some of them. You can also just pack books by genre so that you have an easier time finding a specific book. Although it would be ideal to write down each book that you place into a box. You can also tell the movers and packers in Maryland to do that for you if you are using their packing services.
Declutter your books
This is a good time to go through all your books and get rid of some that you don’t want anymore. Whether they are too damaged or you don’t like them anymore. You will likely find a lot of books to get rid of. This will make moving your books much easier as there will be fewer books to move. And it will make the move cheaper as your movers might charge you by the weight of the boxes. But you should always check first with the moving services Maryland how it is going to work so that you avoid any hidden fees. As for the books that you want to get rid of, there are many ways to do that:
- You can sell your books
- Donating to a library is also an option
- You can also always gift them to friends and family
Hire professional movers to help you pack and store a book collection
This will make everything much easier as your movers are going to have a lot of experience with this. And will know how to avoid damaging your books and how to handle them properly. Just make sure that you do your research and find reliable movers. There are a lot of good moving companies in Maryland and it shouldn’t be hard to find one that suits you the most. You can also always ask your friends and family if they know good movers. Make sure that you take quotes from at least three moving companies so that you can compare them and hire one that you think is best.
Pack your books well
It is important to pack your books well to avoid damage. The first thing to do is to get the boxes. There are many ways to get free moving boxes. If you are packing your books to store them long-term, then you are better off using plastic containers. As they will protect your books from moisture, humidity, and pests. You want to stand the hardcover books upright with the spines against the sides of the box. And softcover books you can pack flat. You can additionally protect them with acid-free packing paper to prevent yellowing. And for additional protection, you can put bubble wrap in empty spaces in the box so that books don’t move around during the move and get damaged.
Inspect all the books before you pack and store your book collection
A lot of people eat or at least drink some water near their books. And that is not a bad thing. But if some food ends up in your books, some crumbs of food which can be barely noticeable for example. Or some water drips into a book. It can be a bad thing. Because if you put into storage a book that has food or water in it, mold and mildew will form. And it can spread to other books too and destroy them. That is why it is important to go through all the books and make sure that they are clean and dry before packing and storing a book collection.
Check on your books often
It is important that you check on your books often after you pack and store a book collection, to make sure that they are not damaged in any way. Especially if you are storing them long-term in storage for example. If there is some damage like the above-mentioned mildew and mold, you want to catch it early. And to prevent it from spreading. So make a reminder on your phone or elsewhere to make sure that you don’t forget to check your books. It would be good to do it at least once a month. And make sure that you thoroughly go through all your books to catch any damage that might be beginning to form.
Keep some books to read
Don’t get carried away packing and forget to leave one or two books for yourself to read. And if you are storing your books for a longer period of time, for example during renovations, take more than just two. If you are moving home, then you can put the books into your moving day bag with other essentials like medicine and documents. This is one of the most important things to do when you decide to pack and store a book collection. Because later on when you finish packing it will be too late to grab a book or two to read.
