How to Purge Your Book Collection and Quickly Tidy Up Your Bookshelves via Clean Mama

This week’s organizing focus is BOOKS. If you haven’t grabbed April’s FREE cleaning and organizing calendar yet, head on over to this post for a little more explanation (and May’s calendar will be up soon).

Your challenge this week is to take 15 minutes to do a little book inventory. Super simple task – walk around your house, straighten up any books on bookshelves, dust off the tops (on Tuesday, because it’s dusting day), and purge any books that you no longer need or want and are just taking up space.

Here are my 5 favorite book organizing tips:

  • Store books at the edge of your bookcases or shelves to keep the dusting to a minimum.
  • Keep kids’ board books in baskets – take out one at a time or the whole basket. This keeps clean up a little easier.
  • Take inventory regularly and give away books to a friend or neighbor, sell or donate anything else. A box of books in the basement doesn’t do anyone any good (or at least that’s the conclusion I’ve come to).
  • Make a bookcase more interesting by alternating stacking books and storing books upright. Add decorative and seasonal items to add a little more interest to your bookcase.
  • Arrange books by spine color to pretty-up your book collection.

But how do you know what books to keep?

  • If it’s a book that you will use or do use, can pass down to a child, or has sentimental or monetary value and you still want it – keep it.
  • If it’s tattered, torn, and isn’t used anymore and you can’t think of when you might use it – toss it.
  • If it’s taking up space and cluttering up your life – donate it.
  • Not sure? Put it in a box in your basement and if you don’t come back to it in 6 months – it can go.

What’s your best book sorting and organizing tip? Share in the comments!

And of course, grab my book – it’ll be in your cleaning caddy and off your shelves, for sure!

The Organically Clean Home - Clean Mama

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