Don't crowd books onto the shelves. The bindings can break apart easily from the pressure of being jammed too tightly together. Covers can also be scratched and dust jackets ripped by doing this.

Store books upright whenever possible. Leaning strains the bindings. Use bookends on partially filled shelves. Books that are oversized and too large to put upright on shelves should be laid flat, never on their side.

Use the special crevice nozzle on the vacuum cleaner for removing dust from books. Or, wipe the books carefully with soft clean cloth. Remove all dust from the shelves before replacing books. If a book becomes wet do not place it near a heat source but instead place clean white blotting paper on each side of the wet page and press with a warm flat iron. The leaves will not warp or wrinkle.

To clean leather books never use mineral oil. Use lanolin or caster oil and rub along the back of the binding with your hand, then rub dry.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2005 Old Fashioned Living

About the Author:

Brenda Hyde is a married, mom to three who lives in the Midwest United States. She is also a freelance writer, editor and owner of Old Fashioned Living.