Do your shelves always seem to be packed full of books? Are you not even sure how you own this many books? If you answered yes to both questions, keep reading to know how to declutter books!
In this article, we’re going to share some foolproof tips and tricks regarding how to declutter books. This process will take some time, but it will be completely worth it in the end.
While sorting out your books, please remember we don’t recommend throwing books away. There are many organizations that will gleefully accept book donations. Check with local orphanages, schools, or even a charity organization.
Before you begin to declutter your books, you should have a designated space for all your books. Your books should not be stacked in piles all-around your house. Find or buy a bookshelf that can act as your personal library.
This will provide you with a visual representation of how many books you can hold in your house: no more than what your bookshelf can handle.
Let’s dive into different methods of how to declutter books.
How To Declutter Books: Easy Methods
Would you read it again?
Sometimes a book really does not meet your expectations. As soon as you finish the book, you know that you’ll probably never read it again, yet you still place it on your shelf, mostly out of habit.
Let’s tackle those books, first take down all your books from your shelves and pack them on your bed. You could only do one shelf at a time if the whole bookcase seems overwhelming.
Pick up the first book you see and ask yourself “would I read this again?” If your answer immediately is yes, place it back on the shelf.
Consequently, if your answer is no, place it on your table or any other designated “donations” spot. Don’t just throw the book in the trash.
If needed, you could make another “not sure” pile of books – meaning these are books that you’re not completely sure if you would want to read them again. Don’t place these books on your shelf yet.
Repeat these steps with every single book until your bed is cleared. You should have a few books on your shelf, a few in the donations pile, and possibly a few in the not sure pile.
Would you recommend this book to anyone else?
While reading a book you might think something along the lines of ‘my mom would love this book’. Then you might proceed to place the book on your shelf and forget about it. This has happened to most book lovers.
These are the books that you also should focus on while decluttering. You can ask the question ‘‘would I recommend this book to anyone’’ in conjunction with the first question, or you can use this to filter through your “not sure” pile of books.
Your ‘not sure’ pile is the books that you’re not entirely certain if you want to keep or donate. Go through this pile one by one and ask yourself if you would ever recommend this to someone.
If your answer is yes, place the book on your shelf. If your answer is no, add the book to your donation pile. If you can’t remember what the book is about, read the blurb! If nothing sounds familiar then you should also add it to the donate pile
The blurb is the short descriptive account of the book that is usually found on the back cover.
Does it hold any sentimental value?
Oftentimes we have sentimental value attached to certain books. It could be the book that converted you into a bookworm or a gift from your family. Only you would know which of your books holds sentimental value for you.
These books need to be decluttered as well. You might find them in your “not sure” pile because you just can’t seem to let go of them. Work through these books one by one, remembering the sentimental value, and either donate the books or place them on the shelf.
These three questions will be difficult to answer;
- Would you read it again?
- Would you recommend it to someone?
- Does it hold any sentimental value?
Remember that you will feel so much relief when your bookshelf is decluttered.
There are other methods for decluttering though. Let’s discuss them.
Books you have not read
After building a substantial book collection, you might forget about a few books that you bought or simply never got around to reading. These books clutter your bookshelves, so it’s time to take them down.
Set aside all the books that you have purchased but have not read yet. Then take these books one by one and ask yourself why you haven’t read them and whether you ever will.
Sometimes you find books in your collection that no longer fit your reading style and even though you’ve never read them, you are certain you don’t want to. There is nothing wrong with adding those books to the ‘donate’ pile.
These could be books that you received as gifts over the years from family or friends who don’t really know your reading preferences. While decluttering your bookshelf, you should also check out this article on 7 clever ways to organize your bookshelves
KonMari method of tidying
The KonMari Method is a simple yet effective method of tidying and removing clutter from your house and life. It’s designed to tackle decluttering by category, not by area. So you would declutter all your books in the house at the same time – no matter what area they are in.
Marie Kondo, the innovator behind the KonMari method, has designated 6 rules of tidying, you could apply all of the rules to decluttering your closet. However, we are going to focus on rule number 6: ask yourself if it sparks joy.
Ask Yourself if it Sparks Joy (Rule #6)
If the previous methods that we discussed in this article did not resonate with you, you could try the KonMari method.
Go through all the books in your house and ask yourself “does this book spark joy?”. This can go hand in hand with the “does it hold any sentimental value” question. This is by no means an easy choice, but the reward is a decluttered bookshelf.
Every person is different and has different emotions. If you haven’t read that book in two years and you probably won’t again, but it still makes you smile thinking of a memory associated with it, don’t feel obligated to donate it.
Go Digital
Going digital is, in our opinion, one of the best ways to declutter your space while not actually losing the books. You could purchase a Kindle or download the Amazon Kindle app, which is completely free on most electronic devices.
Alternatively, you could just store the books as PDF files to read on your PC, laptop, or phone.
Go through your paperback books one by one and make three piles; keep paperback, convert to ebook, and donate. The books that you want to keep the paperback versions of can be placed back on your shelf.
Converting the paperback books to ebooks can be done with any free ebook converter. You can send these ebooks to your kindle account and have them available to read on your kindle app.
Although this is the method that will declutter most of your books, it is probably also the method that will take the longest amount of time. Converting physical books into ebooks is tedious, but your decluttered shelves will thank you.
Other Books
While decluttering your books on your shelf, don’t forget about your ‘other books’, meaning the nonfiction books in your house. These books can be about anything from cooking books, educational textbooks, or self-help autobiographies.
Check out this article on four bestselling books that will help you become successful.
Again, take these books one by one and apply the same methods as above, to assess whether you really need this book. Does the book spark joy? Does it have value to you? Would you read it again?
What to do With Your Unwanted Books
Throwing away all your unwanted books after decluttering is a waste of books, entertainment, and knowledge. We would always recommend donating books you don’t want anymore, or simply giving them away to friends and family.
Children’s homes and orphanages would eagerly accept any books, especially young-adult nonfiction or even educational textbooks. There are also multiple charities, like Goodwill, that accept pre-loved books as donations.
If some of your books have particular value, like a first release or a signed copy, you could sell them online or to your local bookshop for an extra few dollars.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has helped you understand how to declutter books. The process might be daunting and tedious at first but it is very rewarding. Decluttering your books is also a way to declutter your mind and your life!
Read here for 8 simple and effective ways to become a better reader.
