Some Tips for Taking Care of Your Books

Here is a taste of a helpful post at Apartment Therapy blog:

Always store books upright or flat, keeping similarly sized books together. Never lean them at an angle or vertically on their spine or pages. Don't pack books too tightly on the shelves or they may crack or become scratched if they are pulled out too roughly. To properly remove a book from the shelf, push in the two books next to it and grasp the book by either edge of the spine. Don't pull it from the top of the spine.

Don't store books too close to a heater, in direct sunlight or in damp places where they could become mildewed. If your books do mildew, try rubbing the mildew with a very dry cloth and leaving the book open in the sunlight for about 45 minutes (but not for too long or the book may start to fade). If the book is very valuable, take it to a specialist in book conservation before trying to clean it yourself.