Tips for Packing Books for a Move
August 27, 2018
While much of the Millennial generation has jettisoned the conventional book for electronic tablet readers, many of us remain loyal to the old school way of taking in a great novel. If your next move will require packing and bringing your beloved books with you to a new home, McKendree Moving & Storage offers a few tips. The first is to remember just how heavy a stack of books can be and that lifting one can prove harmful. Just ask any chiropractor. Virtually every one of them has treated a patient whose back pain can be blamed on lifting a box of books. Plus, the weight of your belongings can be a factor in the fees your moving company charges. Because of their relative density, books tend to cost more per square foot to pack and move than other types of possessions. To help make things easier on yourself and your movers, cut the weight. Go through your collection and keep only the titles that you love the most. Donate the rest to your local public library or youth organization. If you'll pack them yourself, make sure the boxes you choose are extra sturdy and no bigger than medium-sized. Large boxes will prove difficult and potentially unsafe to manage. Pack books of the same general size together to better distribute the weight. And stack them with the spine touching the bottom of the carton rather than facing upward, as weight from boxes stacked atop can cause bindings to break and pages to buckle. Some books require a little extra TLC. These include older books that have become more fragile over the years, expensively bound volumes, or any book that has sentimental value to you. It's highly recommended that you wrap these in bubble wrap before packing them and place sheets of cardboard between them to help ensure the spines remain straight throughout the move. This is important because side-to-side friction can damage covers. Â You may also want to place silica gel packets inside boxes to help protect books from moisture. To best ensure your beloved books and other belongings will safely make the journey to your new home, leave the packing to a professional mover. Call McKendree Moving & Storage at 800-530-2626.
