How to prepare books for long-term storage in Westerville

Every book enthusiast has a personal library. Although some of the books might not have huge monetary value, their value is sentimental and they are priceless to passionate readers. If you fall into this category and you need to store your collection for a long period of time, you’re in the right place. Storing books carefully is very important to preserve their quality. If you’re not sure how to do it right, we’ll help you with tips on how to prepare books for long-term storage in Westerville.

Inspection is the first step in preparing books for long-term storage

Before you pack anything and call moving companies Columbus Ohio, the first thing that needs to be done is to make sure everything is ready for packing and storing. This is not easy as it sounds. Unfortunately, there are many things that can damage your collection. So, get ready for some inspecting and cleaning.

Dust

Dust is something you can’t avoid. Even if you take care of your books on a weekly basis, some of them are still going to be dusty. Dusty books can harm your collection in the long run because the accumulation of dust can lead to paper and cover damage due to its acidic elements. Surely nothing will happen if we are talking about a few weeks of storing, but since you’re looking for long-term storage you’d be surprised how much damage can be caused by small amounts of dust.

Food

If you’re a passionate reader, surely you have eaten something while reading. At least once or twice. Well, food leftovers can cause unfixable damage to your books. Obviously, we’re not talking about leaving a slice of pizza squished between the pages. We’re talking about leftover crumbs that can fall between pages without even noticing. Over time, they can attract insects that would cause havoc to your paper, and not just one book, but they would spread over your whole collection. This is why you need to carefully inspect every single page of the books you intend to put in one of the storage units Westerville Ohio, and clean it thoroughly.

Mold

When it comes to mold, the damage has already been done. Unfortunately, we must advise you against storing books that had been affected by mold. They are a menace to your well-preserved books and you shouldn’t place them anywhere together. If you still find it hard to let them go and insist on storing them, we understand that, so our best advice, in that case, would be to separate them from the healthy ones and keep them as much away as it’s possible.

Prepare books for long-term storage in Westerville by carefully packing each one

Now that the inspection and cleaning are over, it’s time to pack up your books. The first thing you need to know is what supplies to get before you start packing. These are:

1. Protective covers
2. Bubble wrap
3. Quality plastic containers

If you’re not sure how to find these supplies, companies that provide moving services Columbus Ohio can take care of this. So, why do you need all of these? Well, protective covers are going to be the closest layer of protection to your books. Therefore, we recommend placing protective covers on every book. When it comes to bubble wrap, the more the better. The best thing would be to wrap each book so they are separated with protective layers. So if one of the books gets damaged somehow, there’s less chance for that damage to be inflicted on other ones as well. Finally, quality plastic containers will be the best protection to your collection from outside elements. Old cardboard boxes are simply not good enough, especially long-term.

How to organize books when preparing for long-term storage

When it comes to deciding what goes where there are many different ways to organize your book collection. This is where you get to be creative. There is no right or wrong here. To be precise, whatever way suits you do most, is the right way. You can sort them by alphabetical order, genre, release year, etc. so take your pick.

Storage unit conditions

Now that you did all this you might be thinking it’s over and you’re ready, but that’s not true. You need to find a good storage unit. You can’t just pick the first one you find. There is still some research left. If you want to make sure your books are safe and sound, and we’re sure you do, you need to find the best storage units in Columbus Ohio. Climate-controlled storage units are the way to go. If the temperature inside the facility isn’t steady and carefully regulated, that might harm your belongings. Therefore, look for the companies that guarantee optimal storing conditions.

Occasional check

One final piece of advice is to check on the books you stored from time to time. This may not seem important to you since you did everything in your power to ensure your collection is safe. After all, that is the most important thing. However, no matter how much you prepare for it, you must accept the fact that books are made out of material that isn’t prone to time damage. Eventually, quality loss is inevitable so you should check on your books at least once in a few months to see if some of them got damaged. If you just leave them, damage from one book can spread to the others, and your whole collection will be at risk.

Well, that’s about everything we can teach you on how to prepare books for long-term storage in Westerville. You’re on your own now but if you follow the tips above, surely everything will be just fine. Just make sure you remember cleaning the covers and pages along with packing and storing books carefully with appropriate materials in quality boxes. The safety of your books depends on it. Still, don’t panic too much, good luck and keep on expanding that collection of yours!