Love reading but have too many books to count and wondering if you can store them in your garage?
Storing your books in the garage isn’t optimal, but it can work if you regulate the temperature and ensure that pests don’t get access to your books. If you know your garage gets humid, you may want to store your books elsewhere.
Below you’ll find all the tips and tricks to store your books safely in the garage.
Let’s get started.
Should You Store Books in the Garage?
Storing books in your garage can be OK but you need to keep in mind that pests, sunlight, and humidity can damage your books in the long run. You can regulate the humidity inside of your garage to avoid your books from attracting mold and fungus.
Mind the humidity
High humidity inside of your garage can cause damage to your precious books. Low temperatures can be ok (below 75F) as they prevent mold from forming. Anything higher than that with high humidity can cause a breeding ground for unwanted fungi/mold. Ventilating your garage can also reduce the humidity in your garage.
Keep the books out of sunlight
UV rays can cause yellow paper and faded ink. Keep your books out of the sunlight which shouldn’t be too difficult in the garage.
Pests can be a problem
If you know that your garage has a mouse, squirrel, or possum problem, then it’s advisable to take care of that problem before you store books in your garage. If you don’t have anywhere else to store them, garage storage containers will keep any unwanted intruders out.
Store the books correctly
The best way to store books is standing up and not on their spine. This way, your books won’t be damaged from long-term storage and they’ll be ready to be read when you are.
If you don’t have enough space to store them upright, then your best bet is to stack them with the heaviest books on the bottom.
Clean your books before storing them
Before you stick all of your books in a container and forget them, clean them before you put them away. This way, you won’t have as much cleaning to do later and your books will last a while longer. Start from the spine and move the dust out towards the pages.
3 Ways to Store Books in your Garage
1. Garage storage containers
The best way to store a lot of books would be with a garage storage container. You’ll keep your books out of sunlight, protected from humidity, and away from pests. My favorite part about this type of storage is that you can combine it with overhead garage storage racks and keep your garage’s floor nice and tidy.
When storing books in a container, make sure to give them some breathing room within the container as well. Try to balance the box to make it easier to handle. You can utilize packing paper or bubble wrap to keep your books safe.
2. Garage Shelving
Another option to store books in your garage is with shelving. This rack will hold 350lbs per shelf so your heavy books won’t do any damage to this rack. It’s made out of steel and black coated chrome finish so your garage will look stylish. It also can hold plenty of other things and not just books.
One thing to look out for is that your books won’t be protected from pests, humidity, or sunlight. If your garage is maintained and you want to take your books out at a moment’s notice, then a shelf like this may be your best bet.
3. Bookshelf
Consider a bookshelf as well if you’re looking for easy access. I like that this shelf comes in a few different colors so you can easily match the decor of your garage. It has five storage shelves so you’ll have plenty of space for all of your favorite books.
Assembly was described as easy to assemble and only requires a screwdriver. If you’re a bookworm and are always going back for more, it may make sense to store your books on a shelf like this so you don’t have to get them out of storage constantly.
The only downside is your books won’t be protected from the elements in your garage. You can heat and cool your garage to maintain the temperature, though.
What to Avoid When Storing Books in Your Garage
- Avoid storing books in direct sunlight
- Avoid pests damaging your books
- Don’t leave your books in a humid garage
- Don’t store books on their spines
- Don’t store books next to food
- Don’t store dirty books
Final Thoughts
As long as you control the humidity, temperature, sunlight and keep your books protected from pests, they should be fine in the garage long term. Depending on how often you re-read your books, it may make sense to have an open-air storage solution. If not, then a storage container will be your best bet.
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