One of the trickier parts in moving your stuff to a new house is figuring out how to lug all of those heavy books from one house to another. They are heavy, bulky, and not used very often, but for many, their book collection means the world to them.

How do you pack and move those classics from your bookshelf without breaking your back? This is where many are making the switch from cardboard moving boxes to green boxes knowing that it makes moving these heavier items so much easier. Take a look at this step-by-step guide to moving your books during your upcoming move.

Start sorting and narrowing down

Unless you feel that you really need to take every book you own, now is the time to sort through that collection once and for all to see which books you really want to keep permanently in the collection compared to those that could be donated to someone else.

Since many books are meant to be read once and passed on to someone else, it may be a great time to look at your collection to see if there are some you’ve never looked at more than once. Other books might be ones that you pick up and read over and over again. Keep the ones you read often and then ones you are currently reading while letting go of the rest. Now is the time to sort through your collection and narrow things down for the new house.

Not only are you going to love having fewer books to carry around, but you’ll find sorting through the remainder much simpler for your move. Once you’ve separated the keep pile from the donate pie, look into places to recycle, sell, or donate the ones you are done with. You may find that there are friends that would love to read these books.

Pick up green boxes and packing supplies

If you’ve ever moved before, you know that cardboard boxes and heavy items don’t mix well. Not only does cardboard tend to be flimsier, but there are no handles or easy ways to carry those heavy books. Making the switch to plastic containers from Chicago Green Box for your move will not only help with transporting your book collection, but it will make the whole house easier to move.

They offer handles for carrying, they are easily stackable, and they are much more durable.  Just rent them from your local professional moving company and pick up packing supplies such as newspaper, packing paper, and a marker for labeling.

Packing the boxes

Now that you’re ready to pack, it’s important that you choose an efficient packing method. Place a level of packing material on the bottom of your bins before placing books inside. Make sure you’ve wrapped valuable books individually while arranging the rest of the books upright or flat into the box.

Avoid packing with the spines down because you’ll risk damage. Don’t pack too tightly and be sure to place a couple of sheets over a finished row of books before starting another row. The be sure to add another level of paper before securing and labeling the box, being sure to label which room these books are meant for. Make sure you haven’t exceeded 40 pounds in one box and choose smaller boxes for these heavier items.

Packing boxes for a move can be challenging with the weight of the item and the number of books you own. Use these tips to make your book moving more efficient.