How To Pack Books for Moving Without Damaging Your Collection (or Breaking Your Back)

There are a few dilemmas book lovers and collectors can relate to. First, there’s the overwhelming desire to buy or borrow books knowing you have collections of unread volumes already waiting for you at home. Second, time just disappears when you get into a good read. And finally, when moving, there’s the biggest predicament of them all — figuring out how to pack books for moving without damaging your collection (or breaking your back). Everyone knows packing for a move is a big task, but packing books must be easy, right? It’s best not to judge a book by its cover.

There are some key factors that make packing up your favorite tomes less simple than you may have hoped. They’re heavy, sometimes delicate. They come in a variety of sizes and can be difficult to organize. And as they’re made of paper, books are especially susceptible to water damage. But don’t worry! We have several tips for how to pack books for moving, so you can transport your bundles of reading joy efficiently and safely. Follow these tried-and-true tips for an organized, streamlined process to happily get your books from point A to point B.

Sorting your books to determine which you’d like to keep and which you’d like to donate can take a (literal) load off your shoulders while moving.

Sort and Minimize Your Collection

This is an essential step for packing anything — not just books — and “minimize” is the name of the game here. Start by going through and sorting your books. Determine which ones you really want to keep (books you read again and again, books you want to read, and memorable gifts from loved ones), but be honest with yourself. That old textbook from college that you haven’t cracked open in 15 years can probably go, along with literary duplicates, any “just okay” reads, and novels that you plain disliked. Don’t be sad about letting them go. Give them to fellow readers or donate to charities and used bookstores.

Once you’ve finished, look through your “keep” pile once more to see if there’s anything else you can part with. If not, that’s okay. Just remember that books are heavy, and the fewer books you end up moving, the more time, energy, and money you’re going to save. Besides, you’ll add more books into your library soon enough.

Before you start packing your books, make a checklist to ensure you have all the necessary supplies — especially if you have rare books you’re trying to protect.

Assemble Your Packing Supplies

Before you can start packing books for a move, you’ve got to get your moving boxes together. Sure, you could use second-hand boxes, but beware of their condition. A flimsy box could get crushed during your move, or the bottom could open (remember, books are heavy!). Either way, your books would suffer. Keep these things in mind when choosing your packing supplies:

• Only use small boxes for packing books when moving. Anything bigger is going to end up too heavy to move — which is dangerous for you and your volumes.
• Get acid-free tissue for wrapping your most special books.
• Use bubble cushioning roll, regular packing paper, or even crumpled up newspaper as space fillers to keep your books from moving around in their boxes.
• Have plenty of packing tape and a black marker handy (for labeling).

PODSboxes.com is a great resource for packing supplies and boxes. Best of all, you can order online, and they’ll deliver everything right to your door — with fast, free shipping!

Making note of the best ways to pack books (Spine up or down? A few large boxes or several small ones?) is a great way to reduce stress while saving time and space along the way.

Make Sure They’re Facing the Right Direction

Pop quiz: Should books be packed spine up or down? Neither! Most of the time, books should be packed upright (just as you would place them on a shelf). They shouldn’t be packed too loosely or tightly. And oversized books should be packed flat, with the largest on the bottom and no more than three or four per box. Packing a book with its spine or fore-edge down will negatively affect the book’s structure and eventually deform it, so stick to upright or flat placements.

To pack boxes without making them too heavy, use smaller boxes and limit your packing weight to about 35 to 40 pounds (or less).

Keep Weight in Mind

Want to know how to pack books for moving without the boxes being too heavy? Look, obviously a book or a magazine on its own may seem light, but when you start filling boxes with dozens of volumes, it gets surprisingly heavy, right? So when you’re considering the question, “What size box should I use to pack books?,” remember this: To pack boxes without making them too heavy, use smaller boxes and limit your packing weight to about 35 to 40 pounds (or less). Believe it or not, carrying ten lighter boxes is actually easier (and safer) than carrying five heavy ones, especially if you’re going up and down stairs.

You can also consider spacing out your book collection amongst your other lighter-weight items (namely clothing and linens), instead of piling them all together into one or two book boxes. Using books as “fillers” in the small gaps of other boxes will utilize your packing space more efficiently and will also distribute weight more evenly. 

Keep larger collections well organized throughout your move to make unpacking easier once you arrive at your new space.

Streamline the Process

Wondering, “How do I move a large amount of books?” Packing books for moving when you have an insanely large book collection isn’t too different, but there are a few things you can do to make the process easier. If your collection is well organized or spans several bookshelves throughout your home, pack the books with their shelf buddies to make unpacking simpler. Include the location where you plan to unload it (study, office, bedroom, etc.) on the label so you know where to take the box when you arrive at your new home. And finally, consider renting a dolly, so you can transport multiple small book boxes at once. If you have extra suitcases lying around, you can also consider packing some books in them to wheel to their new home!

Wrapping Up: Follow These Dos and Don’ts of the Best Way To Pack Books for Moving

The best way to pack books when moving is one that doesn’t create overly-heavy boxes, protects your books from damage, and keeps them organized for when it’s time to unpack. Here’s a summary of the DOs and DON’Ts of packing books for a move:

• DO pack upright: This method applies to all small- or medium-sized books, paperback or hardback.
• DO pack flat: You can use this method for oversized books such as photo albums, scrapbooks, coffee table books, yearbooks, etc. (limit four books to a box).
• DO wrap books with acid-free tissue: This isn’t a must-do, but if you have books that are older, bound in leather, or just extra special to you, then it’s a good idea. The tissue should be wrapped in a way that prevents the book covers from touching each other. Secure the tissue with tape.
• DO avoid moving book boxes in foul weather: The last thing you want is for your box of precious books to get wet right before you store it in your moving container.
• DO add a protective layer of paper or cloth: If you decide to pack your books in a plastic bin, you’re going to want something between the books and the sides of the container. Sudden temperature changes can cause condensation in these containers and that could damage your books.
• DO place like with like: It might sound cheesy, but some books are simply going to fit more nicely together than others — focus on placing similar books together.
• DON’T pack spines down: Packing books with their spines down can damage the books, especially those with a rounded spine.
• DON’T pack your books spines up: This is the worst way to pack books, as it can cause your volumes to warp under their own weight, plus the bindings will eventually become damaged.
• DON’T pack too tight: Books that are pressing too tightly against each other can become warped or damaged.
• DON’T pack too loose: Use bubble cushioning roll, tissue paper, or even stuffed animals to prevent the books from shifting inside the boxes and hitting against one another.
• DON’T pack too heavy: Someone’s going to have to lift that box, so be sure it’s not packed too heavy by keeping the weight below 40 lbs.
• DON’T stack heavy boxes on light boxes: This is self-explanatory, but heavier boxes can crush lighter boxes and damage their contents.
• DON’T stress over perfection: It’s best to keep things organized, but if you can’t fit certain books together, it’s best to grab another box and move on to the next thing.

Knowing your books are being moved safely and efficiently will give you that sense of relief.