How to Store Books in a Storage Unit
Having a plethora of books in your home is always fun – especially for an avid reader. However, issues can arise when you’re looking to expand your family, downsize, or make extra room in your home.
The good news is that you don’t actually need to get rid of your books in order to accomplish your end goal; you can simply store them. Knowing your favorite books will always be around when you need them is a comforting solution to an often-stressful situation. For many readers, books are tied to old memories and can be difficult to let go of, which is why we’re here to help you with expert storage solutions that will give you peace of mind and allow you to make more room in your current residence.
Storing Your Books in a Storage Unit in 6 Easy Steps
Wondering how to properly store books? Well, we’ve got your answer – six of them actually. While these might seem a little excessive, knowing how to store books is actually very important to understand as books can get easily destroyed if you don’t store them correctly.
Before we begin with the steps, we want to discuss storage locations. We always recommend opting for a storage unit that’s climate controlled (we’ll touch on this later) as the material, binding, and construction of books are incredibly delicate and very prone to damage – especially older novels, magazines, and hand-made copies.
Because if you’re going to store your books, you might as well do it the proper way, right? Well, here are the six steps you’ll need to take when storing your books in a storage unit to ensure that they’ll stand the test of time.
Consolidate Your Current Book Collection
While this is optional, we always recommend doing a review of your current book collection before packing in order to determine if there are books you simply don’t want anymore. Spending a day going through your collection and consolidating it will save you from over-packing, lugging down heavy boxes, and keeping things that no longer bring you joy.
To make this process more fun, organize your collection into three piles: keep, donate, and throw away. If a book has mold overgrowth or is too damaged to read anymore, you might want to consider tossing it and purchasing a new one. Otherwise, the books you enjoyed previously, but no longer want anymore can find a new home.
Clean and Disinfect
This step is very important and should not be skipped! It’s imperative that, before you store your books, you give them a thorough cleaning to remove dust, debris, and moisture, as the latter will ultimately be the demise of your favorite novel.
This doesn’t have to be time consuming or difficult. Simply, dust them lightly with a soft cloth and check for any wet spots or moisture build-up. If you notice any moisture, dry them as best as you can with the cloth and leave the area open to dry in an open area. After a few hours, check the pages to ensure that they’re back to normal.
Individually Wrap Each Book
Now, stay with us – this step might seem time consuming, but it will ultimately keep your books in the best condition possible. If this step is too much, however, you can also use dividers that will save you time.
Use a paper towel or similar material (nothing with ink such as a newspaper) and delicately wrap it around each book. This will prevent any dust from ruining your collection while in storage.
Organize Books by Weight and Size
Now that we’re at the organization and packing stage, you’ll want to sort your books by weight and size. Doing this will help keep to prevent any deconstruction of your books while in transit or storage. If you’re placing books in a box to store, set the largest ones down first and place the smaller, more fragile ones on top.
Store Your Books Spine-Side Down
When storing your books, make sure they’re spine side down. Never, we mean, never store you books paper side down as this will absolutely cause irreparable damage due to the weight distribution on the most fragile part of the book. The paper towel dust jacket over the exposed fore-edge will protect it against dust and debris.
Opt for a Climate-Controlled Storage Unit
Finally, our last (and most important tip) is to choose a storage unit that is temperature or climate-controlled. The optimal temperature for book storage is around 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal humidity levels as this can cause moisture build up and damage the delicate foundations of a book.
Choose a professional storage unit company that offers clear and secure storage units with temperature-controlled options that will help give you complete peace of mind for your books 24/7.
Store Your Books at Fairfax City Self Storage
Ready to feel secure in your book storage options? At Fairfax City Self-Storage, we’re here to be your complete partner in self-storage solutions, delivering affordable, temperature-controlled, drive up storage units that you can trust.
Our dedicated team is here to help you find the right unit and answer any and all questions you may have – after all, we’ve been doing it for over 30 years.
To learn more about how to store books or to speak to one of our customer service representatives, please contact us today!