If you’re like me, you probably have a sizeable collection of books on a bookshelf or in your closet. Some you’ve read, some you plan to read, and some are brand new that will be read before the ones you already have on the shelf.
Often, we can forget what books we have, what we can donate, and what we can toss when it comes to our book collections. So, let’s talk about ways to clean and organize that book collection.
First Things First
It’s time to pull all your books off the shelf, out of the closet, and out of boxes and see what you have. More than likely, you have books you don’t remember buying; books about subjects you once had an interest in but don’t anymore; or books from school that you never plan to open again.
Go through the books and make three separate piles: Keep, Donate, and Toss.
What to Keep
New books, books you plan to read again, and books that still interest you should all be put in this pile. Then, once you’re ready, you can get creative and organize them in the suggested ways below:
• Organize your books alphabetically by AUTHOR
• Organize your books alphabetically by TITLE
• Organize your books by SIZE
• Organize your books by COLOR
• Organize your books by GENRE
You can also create a shelf of books you plan to read ASAP. That way, they are ready and accessible when looking for them.
Now you have a refreshed bookshelf that’s cleaned up and organized, and ready for you to tackle.
What to Donate
Anything you don’t plan to keep should be donated to your local library, Goodwill, The Salvation Army, or another place where they take book donations.
What to Toss
If you have outdated market guides, old textbooks, or magazines that you have no use for and aren’t worth donating, toss them. Also, any books with damaged covers or missing pages should be thrown away or recycled.
Keep what you throw away to a minimum. Plenty of people enjoy old textbooks and manuals, so those could be worth donating, too.
Happy Organizing and Reading, and I’ll see you next time!
