Book Storage Solutions

Nothing compares to reading a good book. Opening a good bound book, taking the time to relax and escape into it will always be an enjoyable time. Even with the popularity of e-books, people still have large book collections from children’s books to cook books in their homes. Books are great to have, enjoy and read, but they do take up a lot of space. There is always a need for a good book storage solution.

Ideas for Storing Books

There are so many great ideas for storing books. Depending on the amount of storage space in a home, some people are able to store books in home libraries, while others have to be creative with their book storage ideas. Home libraries can vary in style and function depending on the amount of storage space in the home. Books can be an added touch to home décor by having them showcased on tables or shelves. A nice idea is to store books in wicker decorative baskets that can be put on shelving units, under tables and in corners.  For smaller houses and apartments, use ottomans, stools and chairs that have removable lids for book storage or store “up” using available wall space for additional book storage. Make a book shelf do “double duty” as a space divider in a smaller studio apartment or an open living/dining room.

Books should be stored either flat or stored upright so you can read the spine correctly. Books are designed to be stored this way and can be supported by other books to keep them stable. Do not store books with the binding or spine pointing up, this will crack the binding, ruining the book.

The larger the collection of books, the harder it is to keep organized and even to replace them. You can organize a book shelf in any manner that you desire from genre to color of the cover to author. Most home organizers recommend separating fiction and non-fiction and then further categorizing from there.  Special or limited edition books can be very expensive and hard to replace. Special care needs to be given to these types of books. Store rare books in custom sleeves for added protection.

In order to keep the books clean, dust the room they are stored in on a regular basis in so dust doesn’t accumulate on the books. Basic cleaning and proper temperature and environment control will be good ways to keep the books clean long-term.

How to Store Books in Storage

A storage unit is a great place to store excess books and other household storage items. ezStorage has a variety of climate controlled storage units from 5×5 to 10×30 that are perfect for storing everything from comic book collections to excess cookbooks.

It is important to properly prepare and pack the books so they stay in good condition. Below are some tips for storing books in a storage unit:

• Pack books in small or medium size boxes or plastic containers
• For rare or limited edition books you will want to take special care when placing in storage. Wrap each book in a paper towel or bubble wrap to protect the surface from dirt or residue buildup.
• Never wrap books in plastic bags, plastic wrap or foil.
• Store similar size books together, laying them flat in the box. Do not stand the books in the box on their spines as this can damage the spines over time.
• Put the heaviest books at the bottom of the container and pack paperbacks tightly.  Seal the boxes with packing tape. Label the boxes noting the content.
• If possible, place boxes of books on shelving in the storage unit.