Book decluttering: How to clear bookshelves step by step
If your bookshelves are overflowing, or you regularly find books you forgot you even had, it might be time for some book decluttering.
Books have a way of quietly multiplying, especially in family homes where children’s books, cookbooks, parenting guides, and other types of books, compete for space.
But when your bookshelves feel crowded, they can make an otherwise calm room feel busy and overwhelming.
Here we’ll discuss the benefits of decluttering books, as well as exactly how to declutter your books step by step, in a simple and manageable way.
We’ll also cover the types of questions you can ask to help you choose what books stay, and what goes, how to create keep, sell, donate and recycle piles, examples of books you can declutter, and simple strategies to keep your bookshelves clutter-free for the long term.
Let’s get started!
Download your FREE declutter checklist with 100+ items to declutter here
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Benefits of decluttering books
Here are a few benefits to declutter bookshelves, which just may be the motivation you need to declutter them once and for all.
- Shared spaces feel less cluttered
- You can easily see what books you have
- It’s easier to find and re-read favourites
- It’s a quick decluttering job that provides you with motivation to declutter larger areas
How to declutter books
Here are some simple steps you can take to start decluttering your books.
Decide how many books you want
The first step to declutter bookshelves is to decide how much space you want to dedicate to them.
For example, do you want one shelf of books, a full bookshelf, one pile, or something different?
Once you know how much space you want to dedicate to your book collection, it makes it easier to work out how many books to keep, and how many to declutter.
Place your books in one spot
After deciding how many books you want, locate all of your books around your home and put them in one spot.
Books can end up in many areas of your home, including the living room, bedrooms, kitchen, office, and even your garage.
Removing books from shared spaces like your living room or bedrooms, makes a living room declutter and a bedroom declutter much easier.
Sort by category
Once you have all of your books in one spot, group them by category, for example:
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Cookbooks
- Travel guides
- Children’s books
- Reference books
Doing this helps you to see which books you actually read and love, and which ones you don’t, making decluttering decisions easier.
Declutter one category at a time
One of my favourite ways to declutter books is to declutter one category at a time, which makes this decluttering task feel less overwhelming.
Create piles
Now it’s time to decide what to do with each book in your categories, which is best done by creating 4 piles:
- Keep
- Sell
- Donate (here are some places to donate books)
- Recycle
If you’re unsure which pile to place a book in, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I have time to read this?
- Does it suit my current life stage, or interests?
- Do I love it?
- Is it useful?
- Would I buy it again today?
If the answer is no, or probably not to any of these questions, then it may be time to let the book go.
Put books away
Now it’s time to put the books you’re keeping away. Here are some ideas of how you can store your books.
- Small bookshelf (perfect for small spaces)
- Multiple shelf bookshelf
- Tiered bookshelf
If you don’t have space for physical books, then a Kindle is the best way to store hundreds of books electronically.
Books to declutter
Here’s a book decluttering checklist you can use to help you decide what books to declutter from your home.
- Books you won’t read
- Duplicates
- Parenting books for ages your kids have passed
- Children’s books you kids have outgrown
- Unused cookbooks
- Damaged books
How to keep bookshelves clutter free
Once you’ve done your book decluttering, here are some easy ways to keep your bookshelves clutter free.
Use the one in one out rule
Using the one in one out rule means that for every new book that comes into your home, one book has to leave.
Think before purchasing
Before adding a book to your book collection, ask yourself:
- Does it align with my current interests and available reading time?
- Do I really want to read it?
- Could I borrow it instead?
Don’t overcrowd shelves
Leaving space on your bookshelves for decorative items, or just blank space, can make your bookshelves and the room they’re in feel less cluttered.
Some other ways you can avoid overcrowding shelves include putting books away vertically, and not double stacking them.
Do regular resets
Every 6 months look at your bookshelves and remove books you no longer want, or that suit your current interests.
RELATED POST: The busy mum’s guide to a weekly reset
Book decluttering – a recap
Decluttering books is about making space for books that truly fit your current stage of life.
When your bookshelves are filled with books you want to read, your home feels calmer, you can see what you own, find your favourites easily, and stop feeling guilty about the pile of “to be read” books staring back at you.
Book decluttering habits like the one in one out rule, thinking carefully before purchasing books, and doing regular resets will help you keep your book clutter to a minimum as long as possible.
In case you missed it, here’s your free printable declutter checklist to help you make decluttering your entire home easier.
Which category of books will you declutter from your bookshelves first?
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