Books have the gift of taking us on a journey, no matter what we like to read, and sometimes, it can be a moving journey. The opposite is also true, even if it doesn’t happen as often, where we have to take our books on a moving journey, such as when we move house.
For avid readers, books are prized possessions. Despite being cardboard and paper, books are easy to damage when moving. Here’s the process for moving books safely, for both you and your favourite reads.
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Select the right boxes
When packed into a box, books can be deceptively heavy, which makes lifting and carrying boxes of books unsafe for books and people alike. If you drop any heavy object, there will be damage. If you don’t have the physical strength to lift a heavy box, you risk injuring yourself. For this reason, professionals always recommend using small boxes for packing books to avoid overloading weight.
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Packing materials
You will need:
- Small, sturdy moving boxes, preferably double-walled corrugated boxes for best protection.
- Strong packing tape.
- Space fillers like scrunched-up paper, bubble wrap or packing peanuts.
- Scissors and a permanent marker.
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Preparing your books
As books sit around on shelves while you aren’t reading them, they tend to gather dust. Moving books is the perfect time to give them a dust-off and clean. It’s also wise to clean books before packing, as dust particles can be gritty, so any movement between books while in transit can scratch covers.
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Prepare your boxes
When taping the bottom centre and open seams of your boxes, don’t be shy with the packing tape. Use several layers for added strength. Even small boxes can lose their integrity if you don’t secure the seams with enough tape.
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Packing
Pack your heaviest books at the bottom of each box. By doing this, you position the centre of gravity low in the box, which makes carrying and stacking books easier. If you put the weight at the top, the centre of gravity will make the box top-heavy and give it a tendency to tip, making handling and stacking problematic.
Pack books face down, not on their sides. This also helps to spread weight evenly through the box and avoids creating pressure points in the box. Don’t overcrowd or overload your boxes. Leave a little space at the top. While this may not seem to be an efficient way to pack, it helps to keep the centre of gravity low and reduces the risk of damage to books when you stack the boxes in the truck.
Fill empty spaces and the top cavity with your packing materials. This stops books moving inside the box, maintains the box’s integrity and aids the overall protection of each book from damage.
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Seal and label your boxes
Again, don’t be shy with the packing tape to seal the top and open seams on the sides. If you’re generous with the tape, you’ll have a secure box that’s ready to load onto the truck. Depending on the size of your library, you may want to categorise your boxes as you pack and label them by genre or alphabetically.
Regardless of how you label them, make sure you include ‘books’ and ‘heavy’ in large bold letters for the people who have to carry them. And if that person is you, take your time and be careful. Small boxes of books are still heavy.