Jul 28, 2024
Moving into a new home is an exciting and thrilling journey, as you will be opening a new chapter of your life and creating new memories in a new house with your family. But the moving process can be overwhelming, especially the part on packing.
You should carefully pack your items, especially books, as these are valuable items. In this blog, we will discuss ten tips on how to pack books for moving.
10 Tips for Packing Books for Moving
When packing books for moving, you should ensure that they are safe when you move them. The goal is to protect your books and prevent damage when moving. Here are ten tips on how to pack books for moving.
Start Early
To keep your books safe when moving, it’s important to pack them properly. But to pack properly, you have to take your time and not be in a rush. So, it is better to start packing your books early.
Remember that books take a long time to pack, and it’s because you have to secure the boxes, carefully arrange your books, and wrap them. Packing books is not something you should do at the last minute. In fact, books are one of the things to pack first when moving.
Minimize Your Book Collection: Sell or Donate Books
Moving is an opportunity to declutter, and that includes decluttering your books. This may be something difficult to do, as most books, especially for book lovers, hold a significant value. The goal, however, is to make your move lighter and bring into your new home items that you will still use.
So, take a look at your book collection and take note of the books you no longer want or need. These can include old textbooks or books you haven’t opened in years. You can either sell or donate these books. Keep books that you are still going to need or re-read.
Sort Your Books
Sort your remaining books and categorize them. You can group your books either according to genre or topic, title, author, or importance. You can also consider separating hardcover books from paperbacks. Sorting your books and categorizing them will make the unpacking process easier.
Packing books randomly can make unpacking and organizing longer. But if your books are already divided into different categories, this will make arranging them in your new home easier.
Choose the Right Boxes: Use Small Boxes for Your Books
Now, it may seem like using large cardboard boxes is the easier way to pack books for moving. This, however, will result in extremely heavy boxes, making it very difficult to move. Books are heavy items, and when you put numerous books in one single large box, that box will be very hard to carry.
The box can also break because of the heavy weight of the books. So, when packing your books for moving, choose the right boxes: small boxes. Put all your grouped books into small boxes to make transporting them easier.
Prepare Your Boxes: Secure the Bottom of the Box
Before you start putting your books into boxes, make sure that the bottom of the box is secured. You should have a strong foundation for your boxes, so tape the bottom of the box properly. For added protection for your books, you can double-tape the corners of your small boxes. Also, if you’re using old boxes, don’t forget to clean them first.
Wrap Your Books
You want to make sure that your books are protected when moving. To protect your books, you should wrap each of them. You can use different materials such as acid-free packing paper or bubble wrap.
Wrapping your books can help protect them from damage when moving. So, don’t just put your books directly into your boxes, but consider giving them an added layer of protection by wrapping them.
Make Use of Different Packing Methods
There are different ways to pack and arrange your books inside the boxes. You can either pack your books upright or lay them flat. You can either put your books in the box standing upright, with the spine against the side of the box, just like placing it on a shelf, or simply pack them flat and stack them.
Small and medium-sized books will be safe either way, but large and heavy books should be laid flat to avoid damage.
Pack Your Books by Weight and Size
When packing your books for moving, you should also consider the weight and size of your books. Some books are heavier than others. Make sure to pack the heavy books on the bottom and the lighter books on the top. This will prevent damage to your books. Also, heavy books can make a strong foundation for lighter books.
You should also consider the size of your books. Your books will be in an odd arrangement inside the boxes if the small ones are at the bottom and the large ones are at the top. So, before you put all your books in the boxes, consider their weight and size first and arrange them properly and carefully.
Fill Empty Space with Packing Material
There may be some empty spaces or gaps after you finish packing your books. These gaps or spaces are inevitable, but you should make sure to fill them. Books can easily shift in transit, and this can cause damage.
So, restrict the movements of your books by filling any empty spaces or gaps with packing paper, bubble wrap, or clothing. This will prevent movement and damage in transit.
Label Your Boxes
After sealing the boxes, do not forget to label them. You’re not going to remember where you’ve placed each book, but labeling will help. Labeling makes the unpacking process easier. Label your boxes and do not forget to include specific instructions or warnings. Don’t forget to put “Fragile” or “This Side Up”.
Takeaways on How to Pack Books for Moving
Books are precious items, so you should pack them properly and carefully. Take your time when packing books for moving and start early. Make sure to wrap each and every book for an added layer of protection.
Use small boxes so that moving books can be easier and make sure to fill empty spaces or gaps. You can also consider professional moving services to make moving books easier.
