Books
Books get heavy in bunches. Pack them in small cartons, holding weight to under 30 pounds for easy lifting. Line all book cartons with plastic and fill empty spaces with packing paper. (Garbage bags work well as a liner).
Bureaus
Make your bureau drawers earn their passage as extra packing boxes. Fill them with a few small and fragile items. Sweaters, blankets, and towels make excellent padding.
Cartons
Go easy on your back. Hold weight of all packing cartons under 30 pounds. With a marking pen, list contents of each carton on the side. For load sizing, multiply length x width x height of each carton if that information is not already on the carton. Make sure each carton is filled completely to prevent collapse. Fill unused space with newspaper.