4 Ways to Keep Books in Mint Condition While in Storage

Follow some simple steps to keep books in pristine condition and remain that way for months or years of storage.

1. Baking Soda

One of the first signs of an older book is a mildew and musty smell on the book. The smell occurs when books have exposure to high humidity. To help absorb the smell and eliminate the mildew from the books, consider baking soda.

When on a shelf, the baking soda will help absorb the odors and return a book to the original smell. The baking soda also acts as a preventative measure to stop odors from forming in the first place. You do not need to spread baking soda or place it on the books in any way. Simply tear open the top of a baking soda box and keep the open box in the storage unit.

If you have hundreds of books, consider using multiple boxes of baking soda spread out around the storage unit for maximum efficiency.

2. Light Protection

A big visual difference between newer and older books is the color of pages. Older books will have faded pages that may have turned a yellow tint as opposed to the standard white. Once reason for this is due to light exposure.

A storage unit provides complete darkness inside the units so you do not have to worry about natural light exposure to the books. UV light will break down the colors and not only cause the pages to turn yellow, but covers could fade too. For even more protection, consider an indoor storage unit or solid plastic totes.

The light protection will last for years and ensure books remain exactly how you left them.

3. Vacuum Seal Bags

For some of your more precious or valuable books, consider a vacuum seal bag. Place single books into a vacuum seal bag to keep all air exposure away from the book. The protective bag will also prevent a book from torn pages or worn corners.

The air removal will also help prevent dust mites from getting on the books and causing potential damage. Vacuum sealing every book you own is a time-consuming process, so you should only consider the treatment for a select few books. Once sealed, place the book in a storage tote.

4. Book Stacking

To help save space, you will naturally want to stack books and place them in piles. Unfortunately, you could damage or warp books if you stack too many of them on top of each other. Instead, purchase shorter storage bins. Place the books vertically inside the bin, and do not pack the bin too tightly.

You can stack multiple bins on each other to save space, and the books will not have the weight or pressure on each other like the stacks of books will. Some bins and boxes are made specifically for books. For example, you could purchase a comic book storage bin, which helps protect comics and will not overcrowd the comic issues.

For more information on our storage units, contact us at Brownsburg Self Storage Locker Inc. We have a wide variety of storage units to choose from and will help you select the best options for your book storage needs.