Day 25 – Decluttering Tips for Books
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Originally published January 25, 2016 and updated January 2018 and January 2024.
Today is Day 25 of the 31 Days of 10-minute Decluttering Tips Challenge. Today we’ll be going through that bookshelf or pile of books you have. Let’s see what we want to keep and what needs to be purged. Our goal is to clear the clutter and eliminate things we don’t need from our lives and home so that we can better enjoy life.
I have a confession. I love books. Books are the only thing I don’t think you can have too many of. But that’s not what an organizer is supposed to say. So this is my purging challenge. Books. For some people the challenge is shoes, for some it’s family momentos, but for me it’s books. I can acknowledge that it is possible to have too many books, but my then my heart says it’s not. Today we’ll go through our books together and look for ones that we don’t need. We’ll support each other through today’s purging task.
Clearing Clutter – Decluttering Tips for Books
Grab the 6 decluttering bags you created earlier, print your free Decluttering Clutter Checklist and head to your bookshelf.
Take Everything Out-Remember that we’re doing this in 10 minutes, so only take out as much as you can go through in that time, so that means you may just tackle one shelf to stay in your 10 minuted time-frame. Place the books on the floor or on a table. You can come back to the other books another time you have 10 minutes.
Group Like Items Together – Quickly group similar books together. Place reference books together. Place fiction books together. Place keepsakes together.
Evaluate – Look at each group you’ve created. This is the tough part (for me). Be brutally honest. Look at each group and ask yourself if you really need the group of books. If the answer is yes, then consider each book in the group and decide if you really need each of the books.Is the information in the book readily available online? If the answer is you don’t need the book, then ask if you love it. When was the last time you read it? Will you realistically read it again? Could you check it out from the library the next time you would want to read it? Do you have books that you borrowed and need to return? If you’re having a difficult time with this purging task, breaking it into 10 minute chunks will help, but don’t give up. Look at every single book and ask yourself if you need it or love it. If the answer is no, then it needs to go.
Purge – Remove items you don’t need to keep and place them in one of your 6 purging bags. Before you throw books in the recycle bag, stop and consider if they can be donated. Your local school, library, senior center, hospital and disabled care center may appreciate donations. Even if the book is damaged, it may be able to be used for crafting, so ask before you simply throw books away. If you have rare or valuable books that you want to sell, commit to researching and getting it listed within a month’s time.
Put Everything Away – Put the books you’ve decided to keep back away. Books deserve to be stored on shelves not in piles on the floor. Purchase or build shelves for the books you love enough to keep. If you still have piles of books that won’t fit on your shelves, you need to go back through and purge more because you may still have too many books.
Products for Organizing Books
When looking for book storage products, start with the size and capacity of the storage unit. It should align with your specific book collection.
Look for adjustable shelves or versatile compartments that can accommodate various sizes of books and other items, such as decorative items.
Think about accessibility and organization. Units with easy-to-access shelves, drawers, or display areas will make it easier to locate and retrieve your books. No more fighting with stacks of books that are heavy to move.
Because it will be a significant piece of furniture in your space, you want to be sure to consider the design and aesthetics of the book storage solution. Finding a storage option that meets your storage needs and also enhances the visual appeal of your room can make all the difference.
Wooden Book Storage and Magazine Rack with 5 Multicolored Nylon Fabric Shelves Easy-to-Reach Bookshelf
8-Tier Vertical Bookshelf
for Living Room, Bedroom, Home Office, and more
Rustic Wall Shelves
24" Bookshelf and DVD Storage Shelf
Set of 4
5 Tier Industrial Decor Pipe Bookcase Using 7 Ply Skateboard Decks
Natural Wood Stain Finish
for Books, Bathroom Wall Decor, Living Room Furniture and Book Shelf for Skateboard Enthusiasts
Ideas for Repurposing Books
You can use upcycled book pages to craft a wreath. This simple tutorial shows you how to make impressive home decor.
You can craft recycled books for Halloween or for Harry Potter fans. This is a project my 9-year old son and I enjoyed creating together.
If you love books, you’ll have fun making these edible book treats. They’re not difficult to make with this step-by-step tutorial.
Another day is done. We’ve completed Day 25. Can you believe it?! Join me tomorrow for Day 26 in the 31 Days of 10-Minute Purging Tips challenge. Let’s purge more to make more room so you can enjoy life more.
Find all my decluttering tips, printables and challenges in the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.
I’m a mom of 3, a veteran and military spouse. I’ve moved into 20+ homes all around the world. My passion is helping busy people make the space and time for what’s really important to them.
I think this challenge (and dvds) will be the hardest for me!! I like owning physical books and movies, rather than digital or streaming. We’ll see what happens!
Like you, Kim, I treasure physical books. I love everything about them. Rather than trying to get rid of all or most, focus on purging the ones that are not special. You’ll be left with your most favorite items and can treasure them even more.