How to Store Books in Plastic Containers
How to Store Books in Plastic Containers is a cool know how to store books in more organized way. It is an elegant way to protect books from insects, damp, mold and curl. Plastic containers can easily be found in your nearest store in various sizes and colors. If you do not have access to book shelves or have a small space for accommodation, you can certainly pick plastic containers as your book storage.
Books are great items that all should have in their collection. We often buy good books and want to keep those for a long time. Moreover, we may have some rare books that we want to keep for generations as vintage collections. However, they are enormously space-consuming. So, you may become undecided regarding how to keep them in a good condition. Here, we have come with an excellent and affordable solution for you regarding how to store books in plastic containers.
Contents
Why Store Books in Plastic Containers?
What do you do when there are too many books? How to store them long-term? Confused??
In a cool environment, you can store books in transparent plastic containers that can be sealed inside. Besides, you can easily find a book from outside so that you may not need to label the box. Therefore, the appearance does not hamper the looks of your storage.
Plastic storage containers keep books safe from the elements, such as sunshine, mice, and other pests. They are simple to place in convenient locations as the plastic bins don’t take much space. So, when storing books which are only seldom accessed and you also face problems accommodating another shelf in your space, plastic containers are appropriate.
Ideal Size of Plastic Containers for Book Storage
Most retailers sell a variety of storage containers in various sizes. Try to get relatively small boxes, not bigger than 12 by 12 inch otherwise the bins will become quite weighty.
The majority of stores offer a variety of storage container sizes. Sizes of the boxes for your book storage should be small, not larger than 12 x 12 inch. Your collection may contains some large and heavy books like medical & law books. However, larger than this size could be too heavy and the mentioned size should also accommodate most of your books.
Ideal Place for Book Storage
Basements and garages are acceptable in some climates. How to store books in basement can be a significant concern for many. However, you can keep your books anywhere but the temperature must be cool and constant at all times. So, you can always store your books under the beds, within closets, or in a separate downstairs room. Using Polyurethane plastic containers, you can protect your valuable books from insects and rodents that might cause severe damage.
How to Store Books in Plastic Containers
Now we are going to present some tips for you regarding how to store books in plastic containers.
Tip 1: Find an Appropriate Space
Look for an appropriate space for storing your containers of books. Finding a spot for all your old paperbacks can be tough. However, if you know how to organize them, you can easily store them at your chosen space. For a significant quantity of books, you should consider renting a storage place in your neighborhood.
Tip 2: Keep Storage Temperature Consistent & Cool
If at all possible, keep books indoors. Temperature fluctuations in sheds, basements, and garages can affect binding and paper to become fragile. So, try to keep the room temperature constant and cool. Some old containers of books may be good for storage in indoor facilities, but some old paperbacks may be ideal for storage in outdoor garages.
Tip 3: Keep Ideal Storage Humidity
Store books in low-humidity places. When it’s hot outside, books can distort. So, how to protect books from humidity is a major concern. Maintain a relative humidity of 35 percent or lower. Due to humidity paper curls, pages molds, bindings wrap, and all in all books get damaged. The atmosphere in a climate-controlled room should have 35 percent humidity to store books long-term.
The passage of dry air is important for books. It is fine for most of the books to be stored in 50% to 60%, but rare and expensive books must be stored in 35% indoors. If you’re really concerned about your books, you should keep it considerably lower.
Tip 4: Avoid Direct Heat on Books
Direct heat emits from radiators, hot appliances and other sources can damage your books or novels to wrap. So, keep them away from direct heat. Keep your books in a cool environment to keep their bindings in good condition. Generally, temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees are ideal. You should rotate your books on a regular basis if you are conscious about temperature control of the room and the condition of books. This will ensure that some books receive more exposure than others.
Tip 5: Minimize Direct Light Exposure
A soft room light will have no effect on the condition of books. Direct sunlight, on the other hand, will always bleach and degrade the books’ bindings, book cover and page quality. You should store books in shaded rooms with drapes drawn over the windows to keep them safe.
Tip 6: Keep Books Horizontally or Standing Vertically
The most efficient method of storing books are either horizontally on their backs or vertically on tails. That signifies the upright position of the books so that you can easily find a book reading its spine correctly. Books are intended to be stored in this manner and can be backed by other books, ensuring that they are firmly protected. Never store books with the spine or binding facing up. This invariably ends up damaging the hinge and reduces the life of the book.
Tip 7: Stop Bookworms from Eating Your Books
Cockroaches, book lice, silverfish, beetles, and other pests love the glue and paper used in bookbinding. In the majority of cases, protecting your books against pests shouldn’t be a problem. Just keep food and crumbs out of the room if you want to keep your precious books safe.
Tip 8: Use Custom Sleeves to Store Rare Books
Using custom sleeves made of plastic, you can protect your rare books, as well as the books that you need to protect against infestation. The majority of rare book shops can create custom enclosures to fit your particular volumes.
Tip 9: Get Rid of Bugs
Sometimes, you may find that a number of books may have been infected with bugs before being placed in plastic containers for storage. To fully clean them, place those books in plastic bags and place them in the freezer over several hours to kill the pests that may have gotten into them. Now you can store books in the plastic bins for a long time.
Conclusion
Store books in plastic containers is a smart and effective technique to organize books conveniently and also save space. Transparent plastic boxes also give you the benefit to find a book quite easily. Different designs will also decorate your storage unit cool. So, if you are facing any problem in installing bookshelves in your place, don’t hesitate to get a plastic container to store your valuable books safely and for a long time.
Store Your Books, Be Bookish!!!
Dennis K. Hawkins is a writer, blogger, book critic and bookish person. He has written several books and regularly write blogs. As a bookish, he reads a lot and regularly share his opinion regarding books. Besides, he has a huge collection of unique accessories related to book. So, he is an expert and also a real user of the book accessories that he chooses to write on.
