You may find around the house old books or family books as some would call them. Some books have been in the family for some time and you may have gotten them from parents or grandparents. They can be considered a form of legacy or inheritance and they can have sentimental value. Since books are affected by the passing of time, knowing how to preserve and store them is important. To keep it simple, there are 3 golden rules of preserving family books.
1. Handle with care
Old books can get damaged very easily. Avoid handling old books for no reason and before you touch them, make sure your hands are clean. Also, always place them back if you have a dedicated area to store them.
2. Avoid storing them in improper places
Where you store your old books matters. If you want to preserve them, you need to store your books in low moisture areas and away from sunlight. Sunlight will damage the paper while excessive moisture may cause them to develop mold and affect their structure. You should never store them in the basement or the attic. Old books should be stored in a visible place that is not exposed to direct sunlight. The living room is a good place to have a bookcase to store your books.
3. Proper storage
Lastly, you need to consider proper storage. Display cabinets are the best budget solution. Ideally, they should be stored in metal boxes but that can be expensive. If you can get a display cabinet, it will help preserve your old books. What the cabinets help with is to prevent dust from settling on the books. They will require less cleaning. Additionally, you can get a cabinet that can be locked which would protect the books from unauthorized access. It will also prevent you from handling the books unnecessarily as you will have to lock and unlock the cabinet every single time.
