Six Tips for Decluttering Bookshelves

One of the hardest things to do when decluttering a home is to get rid of books. Books often have sentimental value or a high perceived worth. For example, it might be difficult to get rid of a book received as a graduation gift or a classic novel you've never gotten around to reading, such as Ulysses. However, if books around your home are unread and only serve to take up space, they should go. It's unlikely that you'll offend your relatives or James Joyce. That being said, let's look at some ways to get rid of books less painfully.

Decluttering Books Tip #1 - Get Rid of Multiples

One of the easiest ways to decrease book clutter is to get rid of multiple copies of the same book. For example, I have one copy of the Lord of the Rings series and my girlfriend has two. If we were to move in together (at some point in the very distant future), we would have two extra copies of an entire series. Before decluttering my own space, I had two copies of Hamlet and had read neither. The same thing goes for dictionaries, holy books, and reference books. Multiples take up more space than they are worth. They should be the easiest books to dispose of.

Decluttering Books Tip #2 - Sell Books

If you're trying to declutter gradually, consider selling your books on Amazon or a similar site. This will allow you to make a small amount of money as you declutter. Yard sales are another place where you can sell books, though you will probably have to lower your asking prices considerably.

Decluttering Books Tip #3 - Trade Books

There are a number of sites online that encourage the trading of books, movies, and games. Though this might not reduce clutter, you could trade a copy of a book that you have multiples of for a copy of a book that you want to read. In this way, the space that you have is used more efficiently and you can save money on buying a new book. You may be able to declutter more if you offer to trade two or three books for a single book in return.

Decluttering Books Tip #4 - Trade Books In

Many towns have used book stores. Beyond being good places to buy books for a low price, used book stores often offer money or store credit for trade-ins. You might be able to trade a box of books in and get two or three books in return. This reduces clutter and can allow you to get some new reading material.

Decluttering Books Tip #5 - Donate Books

If you just want to get rid of books and don't want to get any new ones, consider donating them to the Salvation Army, a local library, or another good cause. You can provide education and enlightenment for someone in an unfortunate situation. This is probably the best course of action for someone that needs to declutter rapidly.

Decluttering Books Tip #6 - Try Ebooks

If you have a large collection of books, consider downloading some of them as Ebooks or pdfs. As long as you have space on your hard drive or a flash drive, you can store these. Most external hard drives are about the size of a single book, but in a single hard drive you could store thousands of books. Keep a physical copy of your favorite books, but if you're just keeping a copy of Pride and Prejudice for posterity, feel free to get rid of it. And if you're going on a vacation or somewhere where you want a physical copy of a book? Get the book at your local library.

Once you begin to declutter your bookshelves, the task gets easier. It also helps to feel that your books are being put to a good use, such as being donated or otherwise recycled. Have any more tips for how to declutter books? Feel free to share your thoughts in the form of a comment! Thanks for reading!