How to Move Books – Tips for Moving Books
16th May, 2018
How to move books is something we don’t often think about until it comes to moving house. However, once this time arises, it is something well worth thinking hard about. Books are often some of people’s most prized possessions and without proper care can be damaged during the move.
Packing Books for Moving
When asking how to move books, the first step is packing the books efficiently and safely. A box of books can very quickly become surprising heavy and unsafe for both the person moving the books and for the books themselves. For these reasons, it is a good to idea to keep the boxes on the smaller side to avoid overpacking.
Things You Will Need
First things first, you will need moving boxes. Kent Removals & Storage use the world’s most advanced moving boxes and have a box specifically designed for moving books. Our Reader’s-Pak box is lightweight with solid construction and is perfectly sized to move just the right amount of books.
You’ll also need to secure the box with tape and lots of it! You can use brown packing tape if you need a bit more sturdiness or masking tape for a bit of added security. The masking tape also has the benefit of being much easier to remove once you’re at your new home.
Finally, any loose packing supplies such as newspaper, tissue or even bubble wrap to keep the books from moving around freely.
How to Move Books
Step 1: Find a suitable box for books
Step 2: Select and clean the books you need to move
Step 3: Pack the heaviest books first
Step 4: Pack the books face down
Step 5: Leave a space at the top
Step 6: Use loose packing materials to fill gaps
Step 7: Secure with tape
Step 8: Grab a pen and label the boxes
Step 1: Find a suitable box for books
You’ll need to find a box that is close to 12” x 12” x 12” in dimensions. You should also make sure that your box is well constructed and sturdy enough to support the weight of the books.
Step 2: Select and clean the books you need to move
If you’re thinking about how to move books, now is the perfect time to do the thing that you’ve been meaning to do forever and wipe the dust from your old book collection. It also helps you protect some of the more delicate books in your collection from small scratches caused by the dust in transit.
Step 3: Pack the heaviest books first
By packing the heaviest books first, you are keeping the center of gravity as low in the box as possible. That makes carrying and stacking the boxes infinitely easier!
Step 4: Pack the books face down
To maximise the integrity of the box and its contents, you will need to place the books flat in the box. This spreads the weight more evenly across the base of the box and reduces the pressure at any single point on the base.
Step 5: Leave a space at the top
Whilst it may seem counterintuitive when thinking about how to move books, there’s no harm in leaving a bit of breathing space at the top of the box. This will keep the centre of gravity for manageable and also reduce the chance of damaging the books at the top of the box if they are being stacked. You should also consider putting loose packing materials in this void for added protection.
Step 6: Use loose packing materials to fill gaps
Following on from step 5, any free space in the box should be filled with loose packing materials. Not just the top of the box but the sides as well. This maintains the box’s integrity and protects the books from any potential damage.
Step 7: Secure with tape
Depending on the quality of the box and the weight of its contents, the amount of tape required will change. The most critical places to tape are the bottom and top of the box. Just make sure you are generous with the tape and have covered any area where the box’s integrity has been compromised.
Step 8: Grab a pen and label the boxes
Depending on the size of your book collection, you may have packed books by genre. It’s a good idea if you can keep the genres in one box for ease of unpacking. This may not always be possible due to the different sized books, but it is something to consider. Even if you have a smaller book collection, it’s still a great idea to label the box “books” for the removalists of yourself when you are organising at your destination.
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If you have any other questions regarding packing and moving information then please take the time to read through our moving checklists or read our moving tips and tools guides today.
