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.