How To Declutter Your Books
Books can not only transform your life, but they can transform your home too. If you are a bookworm like me, then books can pile up over time.
I have always loved looking at books in libraries and stores and admired them as I browsed through the different genres.
And lo and behold, I married a bookworm as well!
Eventually, our home became like a library with bookshelves on every floor. We relished having access to all our books, plus we had all the time in the world to enjoy a good book. Then family and work obligations crept in, making it more difficult to enjoy this pastime.
It’s not like attempts weren’t made. The love of reading was still there, the excitement of a new story and the smell of the pages turning. Book lovers know what I mean.
The best part of the day was reading a good book. Perhaps many of you feel the same.
We still collected books with the best intentions to read them, however, they began to pile like there was no tomorrow. “I am definitely going to finish reading this book,” was the constant refrain, however, we collected them faster than we would read them.
This is how our book pile began to grow and it’s easy to see that if you accumulate more books than you have space for, this leads to clutter.
So, how do you declutter your books?
In this post, I will share some ways to help you finally get a handle on your book clutter.
Time To Evaluate
If you find yourself overwhelmed with the piles of books you have in the house, whether it’s cookbooks, magazines, travel guides, and brochures, and you want to do something about it, but not sure what, like it or not, it’s time to evaluate and make some decisions.
When you finally prepare yourself mentally to declutter your books, go through your book collection, and ask yourself these questions that will help you decide whether to keep the book or not.
- Did I like it? If you enjoyed the book, think about what you want to do with it. Should you keep it as a display on the bookshelf? If not, should you donate it or pack it away?
- Will I read it again? Let’s say you liked the book, consider whether you will want to read it again. Perhaps you might. And, if so, this is a potential keeper. Only you can decide.
- If a book has not been read, ask yourself why and whether you will ever read it? If not, determine your reason for keeping it. Perhaps, it’s a collector’s item or has some sentimental value.
- Does this book have sentimental value? If you are really struggling to part ways with some books, I totally get it. The book was a part of your life, maybe it even changed it for the better, or perhaps it was a gift from someone you love. But you need to determine whether you are emotionally attached to the book itself or the time when you read the book. Perhaps it no longer resonates with you at this time in your life but you still have memories that you want to hold onto. For example, you may have read at a good time in your life, and it brings back fond memories of the past. If you can’t recall what the book was about, give serious consideration to whether you will keep it or not
Don’t underestimate the power of these questions. They provide valuable insight when evaluating what to do with your books.
So, you’ve done the evaluation, and you’ve gone through the process of deciding what to do with your pile of books. Now it’s time to determine where you will put the ones you want to keep and how much space in your home you will dedicate to books.
Shelving
Bookshelves
Bookshelves are the ideal place for books. Depending on the height, its vertical space can store a fair amount of books. And their variety of styles fit with any décor. If you have the space to accommodate additional bookshelves, you’ll have more room to store books.
Floating shelves
If you have some extra wall space, then floating shelves are a great idea. Install a few and you will instantly notice the difference they make. They can be placed in locations that a bookshelf might not work and they can add to your aesthetic. One of the downsides is that floating shelves are not as dense as a bookshelf, so you cannot fit too much on them.
Storage
Boxes, totes, and other containers
This is the last resort as books don’t belong in boxes, at least that is what I think. But if you cannot part with some of your books and you don’t have the shelf room, organize them nicely, pack them in boxes, totes, or other containers, label them, and put them away in storage.
When packing your books use smaller boxes. They are the better choice as books are heavy. You can even try bankers boxes with handles, but they still may be too heavy for some people. Label the box and write the titles of the books you are keeping in there.
Getting Rid of What You No Longer Need
Now you’ve taken care of what you’re keeping. Time to decide what you’re going to do with what’s left.
As a book lover, I know this is not easy.
However, here are some options.
Sell
You can consider selling your books on marketplaces like Amazon or eBay. Marketplaces like these have access to ready buyers for used books and you can just ship them out when they sell.
The downside is that this may take some time so alternatively, you may sell your excess books in bulk to a reseller.
Also, consider selling to second-hand bookstores. There are online and in-person options. For some ideas, see Where to Sell Used Books.
On the bright side, you might make a few extra dollars, and clear up some space on the bookshelf. Plus, someone else will enjoy your books.
Donate
Consider donating them. Any unwanted books, comic books, or magazines can find another home or another book lover.
Here are some ideas on where you can donate your unwanted books.
- Thrift stores: these are available in many areas in North America and there’s a good chance that there could be several near you.
- Family members: giving away books to family members can provide some comfort in knowing that something you’ve treasured is staying in the family.
- Library: this is one way to contribute to your local community.
- Schools: here is a way to help young people get access to more books.
For more suggestions, take a look at 20 Places to Donate Used Books.
Delivery
If getting your books transported to where you are giving them away is difficult, or something you don’t want to do, there are some options here as well.
With today’s technology, it is easy to sell or donate items through eBay, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, and many other platforms. But what is even easier is that you don’t have to go anywhere to declutter your books. There are some organizations that will pick up your books directly from your home.
So, make yourself a coffee, and chill while you are waiting for someone to come and collect your book clutter.
Here are a few ideas:
- 1-800-GOT JUNK
- DonationTown.org
- Diabetes Canada
Digital Books
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention digital books. Some book lovers don’t like them, however, they take up less space and are easier to travel with.
This is one way to continue to collect books, without creating clutter.
You can’t deny that your electronic devices are capable of holding several bookshelves worth of books. In fact, an 8GB kindle can hold up to 8,000 books!
Digital book readers are not only dedicated devices like Amazon Kindle, but they can also be apps on tablets.
Even though you may not want to switch all of your books to digital you can start considering purchasing some new titles digitally. Novels may make the best choices to consume digitally. Reference books like textbooks and cooking books are less convenient to consume digitally.
Anyway, try out a digital book on your smartphone and see how you like it. You might start a new collection and take a part of your library with you on vacation.
Recap
Decluttering your books is no easy feat.
It requires making some tough decisions.
These steps are meant to help in your decision-making and placement process:
- Evaluate what you will keep and what you will get rid of
- Plan where and how you will store what you keep
- Get rid of the excess by selling or donating
So, there you go. All of these ideas will help you declutter your books. They certainly helped me. I am now officially book-clutter-free and I make the time to enjoy a good book every now and then.