Turning a New Page: 6 Quick Ideas for Packing Books

Books are the key to turning your new space into a home. They represent a world of ideas you've loved exploring. And they're also beautiful to look at!

But when it comes to moving them from your current place to your new one, books can be pretty brutal. They get extremely heavy very fast and don't always fit perfectly into boxes. Though we can't make your books lighter, we can spark your imagination for innovating during the packing process. 

Here are 7 quick ideas for packing books efficiently:

If you divide your books by hardcover and paperback, moving them might be slightly easier. 

The hardcover boxes will obviously be pretty heavy, but that means that the paperback ones will be slightly lighter. If you go with this method, you can tackle the hardback boxes first and then look forward to the more manageable paperback ones!

Another possibility is putting a balanced weight into each of your book boxes. 

This will mean putting three or four hardcovers at the bottom of the box and then a handful of paperbacks on top. This method will keep your exertion consistent because no box will be wildly heavier than the others, which is always useful during a long move day.

If you prefer a shorter number of trips up the stairs, you could consider putting a lot of boxes in a small number of big boxes. 

You'll need lots of help with these ones, which is what we're here for! But there is something great about having half of your books in one box and half of them in another. Everything will be right there in front of you during the unpacking process. And you won't have to be lugging books all day long!

A great option, especially for people with huge numbers of books, is to get a lot of really small boxes.

This way, no box will be very heavy at all. And the worst part about the process will just be going up and down the stairs, which you'll do a lot on move day anyway! This method will make the unpacking process slightly more chaotic because you'll have tons of empty boxes lying around. But it can totally change the book-moving game.

Also, consider using bags instead of boxes!

It might feel less organized to move books this way, you'd be surprised how much easier it is to haul bags than boxes up the stairs. You can also, if you're up for it, carry several bags at once. Heavy-duty garbage bags could be a nice option, and you can reuse those in your first few days at your new palace. Canvas tote bags are also super strong and can hold 10 books pretty easily.

If you have the opportunity, a final option is moving your books over a longer period. 

Let's say you're passing your place onto a friend who doesn't mind books taking up a bit of space for a while. Ask if you can stop by once a week to bring a handful of books to your new place. Although it'll drag on, this will make the moving process practically unnoticeable.

Or ask us about storage solutions where we can store your books and other items for as long as you want!

Head to our blog! We've written articles about where to buy moving boxes in New York City and the key moving terms you might encounter on move day.

We're active in NYC, Philly, San Francisco, and LA and are always ready to make your move easier.