Packing your books

Whether your collection of books includes a few dozens of them or a few hundreds, it constitutes a personal library, one you wouldn’t want to leave behind on your moving day. So when you are getting ready for the big moving day and packing away everything you need to take along, books might not be at the top of your list, but they will certainly be there. And, because you want the moving process to be as easy and stress-free as possible, it’s best if you get them ready ahead of time.
The first thing you need to check before packing your books is the state they’re in. Normally, books aren’t very delicate items to be handled with extreme care, but they still require some attention. Books that are in good condition can easily withstand transportation in cardboard boxes, provided you avoid overloading said boxes. Keep in mind books can be quite heavy – especially big piles of them – and placing too many of them in one box might cause that box to tear, leaving you with a mess and, potentially, a few damaged tomes.
Depending on your interests and even professional path, you might have a couple of really large and heavy books, such as dictionaries or encyclopaedias, which you need to move out of your old home and into your new one. For such books, it’s better to skip the cardboard boxes and go with plastic ones instead, as they are sturdier and more secure. In terms of size, your best bet is to chose boxes that are big enough to accommodate such large books – even a few of them at a time – but, at the same time, allow for a comfortable and safe handling. Plastic boxes are also better if you need to keep your books one hundred percent dry – as you obviously do – and there is even the slightest chance of the boxes coming into contact with anything liquid or wet.
In the case of those books that are in less than perfect shape, you’ll need to use some protective wrapping materials, and, perhaps, instruct the moving men to handle them more carefully. Other than that, with all books, try to organize them into sets by a system you’re familiar with, so you will be able to easily arrange them into the library of your new home, once the moving process is completed. Take the time to do everything properly, and you’ll be glad you did.