How to store books so they survive humidity, monsoon and insects

Choose the right spot

• Keep shelves away from outside walls, bathrooms and kitchens, which are the dampest places in most homes.
• Leave a small gap between the books and the wall so air can move behind them.
• Avoid direct sunlight, which fades spines and dries out bindings.
• Do not store books on the floor or in a basement, where seepage and floods reach first.

Let the books breathe

Packing books tightly into a closed cupboard or sealing them in plastic traps moisture, which is exactly what mould needs. Stand books upright, not too tightly, and open closed cupboards on dry days to let air through. If you must store books in boxes, use cardboard boxes raised off the floor rather than sealed plastic bags.

Fight humidity during the monsoon

Silica gel sachets — the kind that come in shoe boxes and electronics packaging — absorb moisture and can be tucked onto shelves and into cupboards. Many can be dried out in the sun or a low oven and reused. Running a fan in the room on humid days also helps more than you might expect.

Keep insects away

Silverfish and booklice feed on the starch in paper and glue and love dark, damp corners. Dusting shelves regularly, keeping them dry and pulling books out once in a while to look behind them is the most effective prevention. Many households also place dried neem leaves or cloves on shelves as a traditional deterrent; keep them in a small cloth pouch so they do not stain pages.

Handle books kindly

• Pull a book out by gripping the middle of the spine, not the top edge.
• Use a bookmark instead of folding corners or leaving a book face down.
• Keep food, drinks and pens with leaky ink well away.
• Store very large books flat, so their weight does not pull the pages out of the binding.