How to Properly Store your Books
Who doesn’t love a good book, especially during this time of the year. Sitting by the pool on a sunny day sounds like the perfect setting for a good book read. For most of the hardcore readers out there, their collection is huge, and continues to grow every day.
While most of you heavy readers have probably made the switch to e-readers or tablets by now, I am betting that a good percentage of you still have many of your most cherished books in print form. If you have hung on to them this long, they must be important to you. And if they are important, the last thing you want is to see them ruined while they are stored away somewhere. But how do you ensure the safety of these books, and where will you find a place to keep all of them?
Finding space to keep all your novels can be quite difficult. If you have more books than shelf space, storing them may be a good option for you, but where? It may surprise you to know that self-storage units are actually the perfect solution to this problem. Storage facilities provide a safe and secure location to keep among other things, your massive book collection.
Historically, when people think of renting self-storage, they think that units are only used for hoarders that have too much stuff and just need a place to dump it. While there may be some truth to that, there are actually a wide range of uses for storage that most people fail to consider.
You have to be careful when you are storing your books is storage though. It takes more than just renting a unit and throwing a bag full of books in your unit. With these few simple steps you can learn to store your books properly.
- Make sure your books are clean. Wipe the covers with a soft cloth and check for anything that might be between the pages. Things like food, pressed flowers, bugs, or even bookmarks can easily damage the pages.
- Stay away from moisture/humidity. A key thing to remember with book storage is that moisture is your enemy. Nothing damages a book faster than exposure to water, but there are several ways to protect your books. To start, consider climate controlled college storage. Next, store your books in plastic bins or tubs, never on the ground. This reduces the risk of flood damage, as well as possible moisture from the floor of the storage unit.
- Keep it organized. It’s easier to store books that are uniform in shape and size, so organize your books accordingly. Do not pack so many in one box or container that you can’t lift it.
- Finally, don’t forget to label each box. That way, you know exactly what books are where.
With these tips it should be easy to keep those books in excellent condition this spring season.
About the Author
This article was written by Matt Schexnayder. Matt is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage that offers consumers a complete comparison shopping experience in the storage industry.
Hi,
This post will work more better for those who are passionate about reading books and thanks for sharing how we should keep our books even those all things which are much important for us in our life.
Sam,
Yes, the more passionate the reader, the more likely he or she is to have lots of books to store.
Label each box. A simple thing to do that brings so much convenience.
Excellent suggestion, Jane. Thanks.
I am one of the many converts e-reader because I travel a lot these days. But if I have time I still prefer reading real books
Alexander,
I always read ebooks, but I like to collect autographed print books.
I have never thought of using a storage unit for my many boxes of books. That’s a great idea! And thank you for the tips.
Dawn,
Those many boxes probably store better in a storage facility than taking up room in the house.
Thanks for the tip. Though I don’t have a problem with storage space for my books yet, I think at the rate I’m going i’ll be faced with issue soon enough.
It’s always good to be prepared, Sam. When you run out of room for books, you’ll know what to do.
A great idea indeed! There so many books and reference materials left unnoticed in their storage and I think this will be a good idea to preserve the quality of your books and somehow inspire others to read them.
Drew,
I’m not sure how storing books in a storage unit could inspire others to read them, but it will certainly preserve their quality.
I don’t know that I’d ever put my books in self-storage. Because that type of storage is uninsulated, my books would be exposed to extreme of heat and cold, which can’t be very good for the pages.
Leo,
That’s why Matt recommended a climate-controlled storage facility. Not all storage units are uninsulated.
No matter how advanced the world becomes I will never give up reading books. Nothing can beat lying on your bed and reading a good novel till you fall asleep. I never can get used to reading books on my laptop. Your tips on storing books will really be helpful for me because I have a huge collection of novels which really needs to be preserved.
Harry,
I’m not a fan of reading on my laptop, either, but I much prefer reading on my Kindle to holding a print book.
I still kept my books in highschool and college and that was like 15 years ago when I bought it. I can’t put down a bok when I started reading it and I can say that it was worth reading it.
Mandy,
I still have books from college (not from high school, though–we were issued books and turned them in at the end of the school year). And my college days were 45 years ago!
i agree with Lillie point that storing books in storage can’t inspire much to readers to read books. but good advantage is keep books safe.
Alan,
Anyone who has a lot of books probably needs to have at least some of them in secure storage. If I ever get rich, I’d love to have a library filled with books, but don’t hold your breath.
hey lillie,
i wish you become rich very soon. so, that that you could have your own library.
Thanks, Alan. I do have bookshelves on two walls of my office with a nice collection of about 300 autographed paperbacks and a couple hundred reference and other books. So for someone who is far from rich, I’ve got a good start.
Very good read. I don’t read books much but my wife does she has a whole stack of books. So I decided to search on how t store books and came across your post. Thank you will be implementing your ideas, hopefully I won’t get into trouble with the wife for storing her books away.
Michael,
I wouldn’t recommend that you put your wife’s books in storage with her knowledge. She might send you to the storage unit with them.