Packing Books for your Rockville Movers

If you are a book lover, you’ll probably be surprised to discover just how many you have when you look at them with a view to packing them for your big move. It may depend on the number of years you have been in your current home, but often an avid reader will count as little as 50 books and as many as 150 books scattered on shelves around the place. Fifty doesn’t seem like too much but, as your Rockville movers will tell you, when you pack them into boxes you’ll find the weight can be considerable.

So, what do you do when it comes to packing your mini (or not so mini) library away? Take a look at our five pointers and you’ll be better equipped to deal with the tricky matter of getting your books to your new home.

Organize Your Books

The first thing to do is to gather all of your books together. It doesn’t matter whether they are novels, anthologies, poetry or even coffee-table books; get them all in one place so you can see exactly what you are dealing with. You can divide them which ever way you wish though be aware of the weight and size of each book and the boxes they can fit into. It is likely that you’ll have to pack different sizes together.

Get Rid of What You Don’t Want

Think about which books you really want to keep and then get rid of the ones that don’t make the list; it will lighten the load for your Rockville movers. This is the easy part, though it too may require a little packing. You can sell them along with other unwanted things at a garage sale, or you can bring them to a second-hand bookstore. You could also simply give them away to neighbours, family and friends. The great thing about books (as you’ll know already) is that there is always a home for a book.

Make an Inventory

Once you know which books you are taking with you, make a detailed inventory of them. Don’t presume that because they are all in a pile in a corner that none of them will go missing. Detail the title, author’s name and the condition of each book, taking note of any damage already done before packing. Make sure you have a checklist to tick while the packing is underway, and another for when you are unpacking.

Heavy loads in small boxes

Books can be large, small, thick, thin, heavy and light. In fact, they have such a variety that it can be a bit of a jigsaw puzzle just working out how to fit them all together in a spatially efficient way. Hardback books tend to be heavier but certainly the sturdiest. However, remember that heavy books should be packed in smaller boxes, and lighter books in the larger ones since the more manageable the box the easier it is to move. Stack the books on their sides, with some cardboard marking the layers in the box.

Label Clearly

As usually, label the boxes clearly. Depending on how you divided the books in the first place, you may wish to identify them as ‘Books – Tom’s Room’ or perhaps ‘Books Novels’. Either way, make sure that your Rockville movers know exactly what they are carrying.

As with everything else, it’s important to treat your books with care – particularly if they are expensive books. For any such book, check with any antique bookstore on the packing and moving conditions that you should be aware of.