Storing Books and Paper, Part 1

Close up of row of books

Most people include books and papers in the stuff they store in self storage. But if they don’t store them properly, they might find that the paper has become soft in a bad way. Once soft, it is almost impossible to make right again. This is almost preventable if you store your books and papers with a few guidelines in mind for your storage solutions.

First, make sure that any books or paper you want to store are clean and dry, and they don’t have any mold or insect residue. Don’t wrap books in plastic, as this can encourage mold. And wrap any leather bound books with paper towel or soft cloth, so they don’t stick to each other or discolor other books while in storage.

Store your books and paper in storage boxes of a small or medium size. Large boxes filled with books are very hard to carry and can even break. Choose boxes with lids or that are self closing so they are closed in storage, and preferably seal them with tape. Bankers boxes are uniform in size and shape and stack easily in our mini storage units.

Store large books flat, and smaller books either flat or standing upright. To maintain the binding, don’t store books resting on their spine or the front edge. Leave a margin of air at the top of each box to allow for air which will help keep your books in good shape.

We’ll write more about this next week. Meanwhile, if you have a question, call us.