What’s the Best Way to Pack Books for Moving?

When moving your household, follow the professional method for boxing up and moving your hardcover and paperback books.

Anyone who has ever owned a book knows how frustrating it is to have a bent cover, ripped page, or smushed book jacket.

You’ve probably experienced the agony of trying to avoid all that damage while moving your books from one house to the next.

There has to be a better way than all those bent pages, heavy trips to and from the truck, and the chaos of keeping everything safe.

There is, indeed, a better way. It is using our step-by-step guide on the best way to pack books for moving for both local and long-distance moving:

1. Streamline Your Collection

First and foremost, do you really need all of these books?

It can be tempting to keep every book in your library, but building a good library requires knowing when to let some stories go.

Examine your books and decide which ones you’ll bring and which you’ll leave behind. Begin early and take your time: you don’t want to make a hasty decision.

What Should You Do with the Books You’re Not Taking?

After you’ve gone through the books and determined which ones will be rehomed, you have a few options:

• You could hold a garage sale (season and weather permitting). Yard sales are a great way to make some extra money before moving and get rid of a lot of the items you won’t be taking to your new home.

• Invite your friends to a small book party. Allow them to look through the books you’re not taking and see if they want any for their own collections. The great thing about this is that the books are still in the family,’ and your friends will hopefully be gracious enough to let you borrow a book from them every now and then.

• Please donate your books. This is an excellent way to ensure that your books find wonderful new homes.

Where Can I Make a Book Donation?

You can donate books in Ottawa at the following locations:

• The Ottawa Public Library – You can drop off two small boxes or fewer of books at any Ottawa Public Library branch. You can also drop them off at bookstores run by the Friends of the Public Library Association (FOPLA). You must make an appointment with FOPLA at their distribution center for more significant donations.

• St. Joe’s Women’s Centre – On their website, the center has a wish list of donation items that includes children’s books, novels, and non-fiction books.

• Saint Vincent de Paul – This Ottawa-based charity runs thrift stores throughout the city and always looks for book donations.

2. Pack Your Books Early

Books take a long time to pack, owing to the use of multiple high-quality boxes, careful placement, and the occasional reading break. This is not something you should put off until the last minute.

We recommend that you prioritize your books when making your packing list. You may have to deal with a small pile of boxes for a short period of time, but at least they are finished.

3. Arrange Your Books by Size

The next step is to decide which books will accompany you to your new home.

The more books you have, the more you will notice how many different sizes there are. It adds some visual interest to your shelf, but it’s inconvenient when you’re packing Tetris.

That is why we recommend sorting your books by size first. You’ll have a much better idea of how everything will fit if you group them all together before you start packing.

4. Make Use of Small Boxes to Keep the Weight Down

One book is easy to transport. 30-50 books? Not at all. No matter how many books you have, they will be difficult to move.

The best way to pack books for moving is to use small boxes that weigh less than 40 pounds. This will make moving your books easier – and safer.

Make Sure Boxes Are Strong, Well-Sealed, and Lined with Packing Paper

The boxes you get should be made of thick cardboard, and very strong on the sides and corners. While we love to reuse boxes where we can, you don’t want to use a book box that looks like it’s seen better days.

When you’ve made certain the box will be strong enough for books, add extra tape to the bottom where the seam is formed. This adds some extra sealing power and protects your books from any liquid or dirt.

Finally, line all your book boxes with a couple of layers of packing paper or newsprint. This adds a bit of extra cushioning and it’s just one more way to protect your books.

Where Can I Get Small Boxes?

There are a few ways to obtain the boxes you need:

• You can get them from us. We sell a variety of boxes, including a box that is 2 cubic feet – perfect for books, and delivered right to your door, making this the most convenient option.

• Ask local stores. Any store that has things shipped to them will have boxes for at least a day or two after the shipment arrives. Who knows even your local bookstore may have exactly what you need.

• Check at work. Your boss or coworkers may have received deliveries or supplies, and the boxes could be sitting unused in a spare closet.

• Reach out to social media community groups. Facebook is filled with local groups, and you can reach out to them asking for gently used moving supplies. Chances are someone has moved recently and still has a stash of boxes.

5. Ensure Boxes are Strong, Well-Sealed, and Lined with Packing Paper

The boxes you get should be made of thick cardboard, and very strong on the sides and corners. While we love to reuse boxes where we can, you don’t want to use a book box that looks like it’s seen better days.

When you’ve made certain the box will be strong enough for books, add extra tape to the bottom where the seam is formed. This adds some extra sealing power and protects your books from any liquid or dirt.

Finally, line all your book boxes with a couple of layers of packing paper or newsprint. This adds a bit of extra cushioning and it’s just one more way to protect your books.

6. Where Can I Get Small Boxes?

Some books weigh more than others. You’ve got our attention, an 800-page hardcover novel.

You’ve already sorted your books by size; now sort them by weight.

Heavy books should be placed on the bottom, medium-weight books in the middle, and light books on top. This will keep your more fragile books from being crushed.

7. Make Use of Your Rolling Suitcases

There are three secure methods for packing your books:

• Flat, on their backs: this is ideal for stacking, especially if all of the books are the same size and fit comfortably in the box.

• Standing up: refers to the position of books on shelves. If you pack this way, the spines should face the box walls.

• Packing your books with the spine against the bottom reduces the likelihood of damage to the pages.

To get the most out of your boxes, we recommend combining these packing positions.

8. Fill Any Gaps with Packing Materials

As nicely rectangular as books are, there’s often space left over in the box. When that happens, you want to fill any gaps with packing materials.

You could even use your own clothes to fill in the gaps – this is a great way to reduce waste and pack a few more things at the same time. Plus, clothing materials are soft, and flexible, but durable, perfect for the job.

9. Secure the Boxes with Double Layers of Tape

As you did with the bottom of the box, you should secure the top of your box with extra layers of tape.

A well-sealed box (or suitcase) is the best way to pack books for moving.

10. Label, Label, Label

You’ve taken amazing care of your books so far during this process. But there’s one more thing you absolutely have to do – add labels.

You should label not only what’s in the box, but which end is which and the fragility of the content.

For example: ‘Books, This End Up.’ If they’re very old or valuable books, you could add the word ‘fragile’.

Consider adding arrows and weight warnings on the sides of the box as well. These labels will alert anyone picking up and moving your boxes, and they’ll be handled accordingly.

11. Keep One or Two Books out for Yourself

Depending on the distance of your move, or how early you pack your books, you may want to keep a book or two out for your own enjoyment.

These can easily be added to your moving day survival kit.

12. Unpack the Books as Soon as You Arrive in Your New Home

When you move into your new home (yay! ), one of the first things you’ll want to do is arrange the shelves and unpack all of your books.

This may appear counterintuitive; after all, aren’t there more important things to unpack? What about the coffee maker?

It’s not that your books are more or less important; it’s just that unpacking them will clear out a lot of boxes and make room for everything else.

What if My Books Have to be Stored?

It’s fine if your books need to be stored for a while. All of the packing tips you used will keep your books safe if you store them somewhere clean, dry, and preferably temperature controlled.

We have a cutting-edge storage facility as well as self-storage containers that can be kept at your home. We have options whether it’s for a few days or a few months.

What about everything else now that you know how to pack your books? Good news: we’ve put together a moving packing tips guide to help you get organized.

Long-Term Book Storage Suggestions

If you need to store books for an extended period of time, make sure the location is dry and cool. If your books are valuable, you should wrap them in acid-free paper rather than packing paper.

 Acid-free paper will not yellow or deteriorate over time. Before packing the books, make sure they are before packing, clean them.

We’ll Transport Your Books Safely to their Final Destination

One of the most difficult issues that book lovers face when they relocate is the sheer effort of relocating their library. This is where we step in.

We can transport any number of books you have. Cassidy’s Moving & Storage in Ottawa has an experienced, careful, and professional team. We will transport all of your belongings safely to your new home.