If you’re an avid reader, you may have amassed a huge amount of books. If you don’t plan on donating or selling any of those books, you may be wondering… What’s the best way to move a bunch of books?
The hardest thing about moving books is that one by one they’re fine, but when you lump them all together they can be incredibly heavy. You might remember this from back during the school days when you had a book bag or backpack just full of heavy history or english books. You’ll have to keep in mind when you’re packing your books not to make your boxes too heavy.
Let’s talk about actually packing the books, though. If you have a bunch of books, chances are you want to keep them as safe as possible. No ripping or tearing of pages here! The older the book, the more delicate it can be, as well.
Find a sturdy box
The first thing you’re going to want to do is find a sturdy box. No fan folding (lazy folding) of the bottom and no overused boxes here! You’ll want to tape up the bottom both along the seam and crossing that. Packing tape will work just fine, but if you have any heavy duty tape and you plan on packing your boxes heavy, you’re going to want to use that. You can also use a plastic tupperware box that will help protect your books from moisture and damage. Plus you can reuse it!
Again, smaller is better here because a lot of books can add up very quickly in terms of weight.
Put down something to dampen it
Whether this is a blanket or some bubble wrap, you’re going to want to pad the bottom of the box with a sheet of something so your books aren’t jostling around against something hard.
Pack paperback books spine down
Paperback books move best when packed with the spine facing the bottom of the box. Pack them tight so each book helps to keep the next book in place from edge to edge. Do not pack paperback books spine up or otherwise as you will end up warping the pages and covers.
Pack hardcover books as normal
Hardcover books, as long as they’re not fragile, will do just fine standing upright and normal. Very fragile or very valuable books will do better with having cardboard dividers between them and the rest of the books. You can also “sandwich” these books with oversized cardboard and then tape the edges of the cardboard together to prevent movement of these books.
Close up your box
Of course you want to close it up! Make sure you label it so you know exactly what is in it and where it goes.
How did we do? Got any tips for packing boxes? Let us know in the comments below!
