While it’s easy to think that everyone simply uses a tablet or laptop to read these days, you’d be shocked by how many clients we’ve helped move their rather large book collections. Many people realize the difficulty involved in properly packing and successfully transporting book collections, which is why they rely on our team of professional movers for help. After all, we’ve helped clients in their twenties move into their first apartment with the books they amassed in college. We’ve also helped clients in their thirties and up who might be in grad school and have even more books, so we’ve handled all types of book-related moving situations. Of course, it’s not just students or academics that have book collections.
3 Smart Packing Secrets for Moving Your Book Collection Safely
When it comes to packing books, however, it seems no one is an expert, as we’ve had our share of poorly constructed boxes that give out while loading a whole big box full of books onto the truck. Below, we break down the best practices for packing books when moving in Chicago.
1. Take Stock and Organize
Like you would protect any collection of valuables in your house, it is best to first go through all the books you have, taking them off the shelves to get an idea of how much space they take up while also identifying books that you’re never going to read again. It’s too easy to make moving far harder than it needs to be just by packing ten books in a box instead of five. And while we’re not saying you have to cut your book collection in half, you should at least trim it down to make your life easier.
Additionally, as book owners are often particular about how they store their books, organize them as you would on your shelf. Be it alphabetically or by subject, try to keep your books as they are currently organized. That way, when it comes to setting up your books in your new home, you don’t have to reorganize them from scratch.
2. Get the Right Packing Materials
As you’ve likely gathered through first-hand experience, moving books is heavy business. A box of twenty or thirty books can weigh close to the three-digit range. Therefore, you’re going to need sturdy boxes that can hold all that weight. What you need are “book boxes,” which are boxes that are made of thick cardboard and are typically small with the dimensions of 20’’ x 11’’ x 11.’’ Lastly, they should be brand new to ensure they have had no wear or tear. You can purchase thick medium boxes from our packing store or at your packing materials store of choice.
Additionally, you will need packing paper, newspapers or bubble wrap to fill the negative spaces created by the books and wrap them all up. You’ll also need packing tape and, most of all, a marker and smart labeling to keep track of the different sections of your book collection. To avoid any issues and ensure the proper materials and techniques are used, many homeowners rely on professional packing services to protect their belongings. When it comes to collections, there’s no such thing as overdoing it with labeling. The clearer you are on the contents of a box, the easier it is to unpack.
3. Packing Your Books
OK, so we’ve organized our books for packing and gotten the materials needed. Now it’s just a matter of packing the books to make use of as much space as possible without overdoing it. And if you’re packing any books of value, wrap them individually in soft packing paper and consider keeping them with you during the move, especially if they have significant sentimental value.
When it comes to actually packing your books, you can use three methods. Books can be packed upright, flat or spines down. Flat is the most common method, as you can just stack them along the box sides while placing the heavier volumes at the bottom of the box.
Spines down can seriously damage the spines of your books. Upright, like how you would see them arranged on a bookshelf, should never be done with the open sides facing the inside of the box. Truly, flat is the way to go. While you may lose some of your organization to the need to stack according to size, you’ll still be grouping your books according to your organizational system. This will cut down significantly on setting everything back up. For added protection and to ensure that your books and any other fragile items are properly secured for your upcoming move, calling on professional packing services to handle the job is a worthwhile investment.
Count on New City Moving to Move Your Books Safely
Packing and moving a book collection takes more time and attention than you probably realize. Instead of trying to do it all yourself, let the pros at New City Moving help you. Our team of expert movers has the knowledge and experience to handle your books with the utmost care. Call 872-314-2148 or request a free online quote today.