Storage conditions
Bookworms, moths, grinders, and other pests grow in high humidity and lack of fresh air. Dry air leads to deformation of the binding. It reduces the strength of the paper. The sun's rays change color. Closed cabinets protect only from dust. It is necessary to arrange ventilation. Old literature is rearranged every six months and books are swapped.
Storage conditions:
- temperature 18-22 degrees;
- humidity range 40-65%;
- protection from sun rays.
An important point is that you need to choose the height of the shelves. There should be a space of at least 5 cm at the top. This will provide the necessary ventilation. It is not necessary to change cabinet furniture. We recommend upgrading. For example, take out the filling and make shelves with your own hands.
An easy way to get rid of dust is to vacuum the shelves and contents once a week while cleaning the house.
Storage tips for a small apartment
A large library cannot be placed in a one-room apartment. Therefore, some books will have to be packed in cellophane and boxes and taken to the loggia or attic. When storing in the attic, boxes are not placed on the floor so that rats and insects do not become interested in the literature. It is better to place them on top of other boxes in a dry place.
It is easier to place books for constant reading using shelves, special furniture and non-standard design solutions. These are usually open storage areas, so you will have to spend more time cleaning.
Hanging shelves
Shelves made of wood and metal are placed above the desk, next to the sofa, and bed. A variety of shapes and sizes allows them to fit harmoniously into the interior. This is a convenient way to place a small number of books in a small space and emphasize the style of the interior. Small shelves are also fixed to window slopes.
Niche
In standard apartment layouts, niches are rare. A recess as a place to store books is provided during the selection of home design, and then built from plasterboard. A niche will not help save space, but it will look more original than a rack or shelves.
Bed
Special models with built-in shelves at the bottom are convenient for those who like to read before bed. An organizer bed will replace a bulky bookcase.
Windowsill
Books can be placed compactly on shelves under the windowsill, but only if there is no central heating radiator nearby. A window in the shaded part of the apartment is suitable for placing literature. The method is suitable for storing books in a children's room.
Armchair
An original solution that will save space in a one-room apartment is a square-shaped library chair. It consists of shelves built into the back, bottom and around the seat.
Where to store books?
There is no universal place for storing publications. Some people live in a country house, others in an apartment. Some have a large apartment area, others have a small one. Let's look at the most common places to store books.
- bookshelves;
For small apartments, it is best to store books on shelves and cover the shelves with glass partitions. You can make shelves yourself from a wooden base or buy ready-made products. Shelves can be made above a computer or desktop, in the hallway, in the kitchen, in the living room. You can buy wide shelves for spices and use them in a non-traditional way.
Storing books on bookshelves
If the wood does not fit into the interior style, then the shelves can be painted. This needs to be done in several layers, because the wood absorbs the paint a little. Next, seal with colorless varnish for painted products.
– baskets;
Metal, wicker, and plastic baskets can also be used for storage.
Book basket
- closet;
If space allows, you can put up a cabinet and put all the literary publications in it.
If space allows, install a bookcase
– rack;
Most often, the rack is used in stores, but it can also be used for a country house or apartment.
Book rack
In some apartments, a shelving unit serves to separate zones in a room.
– stairs;
Owners of two-story apartments and country houses can store books in the niche of the stairs.
Using a staircase niche to store books
- bed;
Sofa bed, chair bed or standard bed - there is usually an area inside for storing linens, but if the space is empty, it can be used to store books. If you can't sleep at night, then take a book and read.
Book shelf under the bed
– textile – organizers;
Another option is a textile organizer. It is not designed for a large number of books, but it is suitable for a few. It can be placed in the living room or bedroom. After reading books, it can be folded and put away.
Textile organizer for books
- wooden boxes;
Old or no longer needed wooden boxes can be painted and used to store books. They can be placed on the floor or nailed to the wall. The boxes can be painted with bright paint. For interior design, you can use a napkin and make drawers using the decoupage technique. Another option is to buy outlines and decorate them with dot painting.
Wooden book storage box
- at work;
You can store books at your workplace. It often happens that a hint, a clear example or a definition is required.
Bookshelves above the desk
You can also store books: in a table, on a glazed balcony, in a bedside table or ottoman, in a crib - in the attic, or store publications in a niche under the bed. An interesting and practical option is a chair with shelves for books.
Armchairs with shelves for books
Rules for caring for the library
The main enemy of books is dust. It causes allergies and promotes the proliferation of insects that damage paper. How to care for your library to get rid of dust and other destructive factors:
- once every 2-3 days, wipe the floor in the room with a damp cloth, and wipe the book spines with a dry one;
- store literature behind glass - in cabinets or on shelves with glass doors;
- place the cover over the binding;
- Do not place heating appliances near the bookcase and shelves.
If the room is too hot in winter or summer, you can install air conditioning and regulate the humidity with a humidifier. Closed furniture will protect books from the interest of pets. Cats love to climb on high shelves. After a pet walks, scratches and torn spines with teeth marks appear on the covers. You should not leave volumes on a table, sofa or chair if your dog likes to chew things. It is better to put the literature away or hide it in a drawer on the bedside table or desk.
A book with intact, clean pages and binding is a joy to pick up again. Therefore, the new edition must be handled with care:
- do not read while eating or bathing;
- use a bookmark;
- Mark interesting places in the text with a pencil.
See also
How to prepare and properly store currant leaves for tea for the winter
Softcover literature requires more care than hardcover literature. Editions with flexible covers are placed on the shelf at a distance from each other so as not to wrinkle the corners.
Books in furniture
An excellent example for storage is a coffee table with a removable tabletop or a leg with shelves, or an ottoman with a folding top. It’s easy to make a mini-stool with your own hands from a wooden stand with legs and a pillow, and place thick volumes between them and secure the structure with straps.
A bed with niches is suitable for the bedroom. It can be supplemented with a podium with storage areas. There is also a little space in the closet and dressing room. You can also look for sale or order furniture with ready-made solutions for placing literature. For example, a library chair is a whole book storage system. It's bright, catchy and everything you need is always at hand.
What are books afraid of?
To preserve the presentable appearance of books, you should find out the factors that influence their damage.
- Dust
Spores and bacteria of moldy fungi that live in dust harm not only humans, but also books. Dust causes book pages to become brittle and change color to an unpleasant brown. To avoid this, you should do wet cleaning approximately every 2-3 days. Books should be stored in shelves that are closed with glass doors or covered with covers.
- Sun
If books are exposed to direct sunlight, this will cause significant damage to them. They will begin to fade, lighten and become unusable ahead of time, so you need to store them in the shade, away from the sun.
- Humidity
You need to monitor the temperature and humidity levels in the apartment. If the humidity is high, the book sheets will become deformed and mold will appear on them. If the humidity is low, the sheets will begin to dry out and break, so it is better not to place them near heating devices and hot radiators. The ideal indoor temperature should be 18-22 degrees, and humidity - 60-65%.
REFERENCE! If the rules are followed, but the pages of books still dry out, then you need to think about buying an air humidifier.
- Closeness
If the books are placed too tightly, they will be inconvenient to take out. Then there is a high probability that the books will be torn, the cover will be scratched, so it is better to leave a small gap between editions.
- Animals
Dogs, cats, parrots and other pets can damage books by chewing off covers and pages. If you are a pet owner, it is better to store books higher up and hide them behind glass doors.
- Careless handling
Every person should know about the rules of reading books. This should not be done while eating, drinking drinks, taking a bath, because there is a high probability of spilling drinks on the pages, dropping it into the bath, getting it on your greasy hands, etc.
Details
Preparation and storage
Preparing books for storage
- before putting books on a shelf, box, rack, they need to be cleaned of dirt and dust;
- if books are of particular value to you, then you should put covers on them;
- sort books according to the principle of how they will be arranged on the shelf, for example, by color, size or alphabet.
Where to store books in an apartment
There are many ideas where you can place books. To avoid dust getting on them, it is better to choose closed options. The most reliable and multifunctional is a bookcase with glass doors.
You can buy a shelf if you don’t have a lot of books. There are many options on sale in a variety of sizes, colors, shapes that will suit any interior.
You can also buy a beautiful box, for example, covered with fabric or straw, in which the books will lie.
Unheated room
Storing books in rooms without heating is undesirable. The ideal temperature for storing books is 18-22 degrees.
REFERENCE! But if there is no other place, then you need to properly prepare the books, namely, wrap them in film and carefully place them in a box.
Balcony
You should not store books on an unglazed balcony for the same reasons. If there is no other place, then they must first be wrapped in several layers of film.
Garage
Before leaving books in the garage for storage, you must first do the following:
- buy or find cardboard boxes;
- sort the books so that you can then easily find what you need at the moment or conveniently put them from the boxes onto the shelves of a closet or rack;
— all books must be wrapped in several layers of film. If necessary, you can write the name on top;
- Now the books need to be put in a box, leaving a little space between them. The box at the end can also be signed so that you understand what is in it;
— it is better for the boxes to stand as high as possible in the garage.
Country house
Before taking books to your dacha, you need to understand that mice and rats can live there. Rodents can do a lot of damage to books. You need to visit the house sometimes and use known methods of rodent control. In addition, books need to be prepared according to the methods described above.
How to organize book storage correctly
Before placing a collection of books in a storage location, you need to make sure that it is not located next to a battery and is not exposed to direct sunlight, which can cause significant damage to the paper.
Shelves
The cheapest and most accessible option for storing a small number of books. The disadvantage of this storage space is that the shelves are open to dust, so books will need to be disposed of periodically.
Shelving
Bookshelves are quite multifunctional. There are a huge number of them on sale, so everyone can find one that suits them in size, color, and design. The disadvantage is also the openness of the shelves, where a lot of dust accumulates.
Book organizer
Book organizers do not take up much space in the room due to their compactness. They are suitable if you put the books you are currently reading there. Organizers can be made in the following types:
- boxes;
— textile containers;
- stands;
- baskets.
REFERENCE! This storage location is especially convenient because it can be easily moved from one place to another.
How to store books in a small apartment
In a small apartment the question arises of where to store your favorite books, so creative people often surprise us.
Hanging shelves
If your apartment has high ceilings, a good way for compact storage is shelves that are located in secluded corners. If possible, you can make several rows of books, but then you need to think in advance about how to get them out of there.
Niche
You can make a recess in the wall, which is one of the options for storing books, but not all apartments have them. If you wish, you can make such a structure with your own hands from plasterboard. It should be understood that in this case it will take up some space in the apartment.
Bed
There are beds with shelves for books on sale. This option is not suitable for you if there are children or pets in the house that can ruin the works. In addition, now almost all beds have secret drawers where you can place quite a lot of books.
Windowsill
This place can act as a shelf for books. However, we must not forget that storing them on a windowsill can harm the condition of books. Before putting them there, you need to darken with something this area where the books will be placed.
Armchair
In furniture stores you can buy a library chair where you can put a lot of books. If you don’t want to spend money, you can do it yourself.
How to store children's books
Children's books are no different from adult ones, so they need to be stored the same way. There is no need to put books in a box with toys, as the baby can tear them or draw on them.
REFERENCE! If possible, shelves with children's books should be within easy reach for the child. He should be able to reach the book he needs and calmly pull it out.
How to store old books
Expensive and ancient books should be stored in the most protected place from animals and people. A safe or hiding place is most suitable for this.
