There are a lot of reasons you may need to declutter your bookcases (or, uh, stacks of books on the floor). Maybe you’re moving, or you’re running out of storage space, or you just want to curate a collection of only books you love. Krysta has written in the past about why she doesn’t own a lot of books. However, even when you have good reasons for wanting to move some books out of your home, doing it can be hard.
Personally, I like to focus on some key questions: Did I even enjoy the book? Will I really read it again (or ever)? Do I have good memories attached to the book? Is there some reason I want to keep the book beyond “wanting to own a lot of books?” I also like to keep in mind that, if I didn’t really love the book or I’m not going to read it, then getting rid of it means I can donate it to someone who might love it or to someone who doesn’t have a lot of books at all.
If you’re looking to clear out some books, check out the flow chart below for some suggestions on deciding whether to keep or give away a specific book. If you are clearing out some books, you can also consider donating to some of these places I suggested previously.
Tell us in the comments: Do you regularly go through your books to unhaul some? Why or why not? How do you decide which books to get rid of? What do you do with them?
I declutter at least twice a year, though I’m overdue for the first round of it this year. I usually do it because I either have too many or I feel like there are a lot of books I want to get rid of.
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I am trying to do it more frequently, especially with review copies, so things don’t get out of hand!
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I don’t usually declutter, except the ones that are just falling apart and there is no way to save them.
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Those are so sad! I always think I might want to try some kind of book art next time I have an unfixable book.
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Nice matrix for a difficult decision Briana
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I have a tendency to keep the books I am going to re-read and I have been trying to create some storage space so this chart is all kinds of helpful. I haven’t cleared out books for almost four years? So, yeah, that’s gonna be a long process.
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I mostly clean out my books when I have to, like I’m moving or running out of space, but I am trying to get better of getting rid of books I don’t really like more quickly. Especially review copies, since I don’t really feel “attached” to them because I didn’t pay for them anyway, so I often donate them.
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Great chart. I try to swap books so they don’t feel like a real loss but I’m not very successful with the swaps yet so they’re still there piled up :-). I usually use the would I reread it to decide 🙂
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I sometimes scan the books for trade hashtag on Twitter, but it seems that everyone is looking for only two specific books and that trading would just be so much hassle because no one actually wants the books I have, or people only want ARCs and not finished copies. I mostly just donate my books to the library.
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Me too but it has never resulted in a trade, either they have a wishlist or they are in the US. I’m an international blogger and most people don’t want to post abroad. If anybody wants to look though, I created a FB page called English Books-Engelse Boeken (@bookwormsdream). I still have to add In Search of Us but I keep putting off adding that one ;-). I have added a few novels to the closest Little Free Library but you don’t know how someone will enjoy them, it feels like a loss, especially if there’s no trade :-).
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Love the graphic! I am actually about to start an unhaul on my own bookcases. I have just been waiting for my back to heal. My plan is to ultimately only keep favorites and those that hold sentimental value. I have way too many and am back to books on the floor 😂
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Thanks!
Yeah, I think books on the floor is a good sign some might be able to be donated! :p
I hope your back is better soon.
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Aw thanks. Ruptured a few discs. It will heal 😊 just slow going..
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The correct answer is never! How can you be so heartless? *clings to books*
All right, so that’s not entirely true. We’ve all been faced with the horrible reality of needing to get rid of a few books. xD I love your questions. Those are pretty much the deciding factors for me when I decide on books, too, and if the answer is no to all of them, then it goes. No regrets. Okay, slight regrets, but what can I say?
I love your graphic! I chuckled at the really? under will you read it. That is, quite literally, the very same thought process I have. With the double-check and everything lol.
I usually go through my books once a year, and I take them down to the library and donate them. Books that they think other patrons will read, they will shelve them. Otherwise, they put them out at their semiannual book sale and the funds go towards programming for the library.
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I hoarded books for a long time, but unhauling them the first time really helped me be more comfortable with it in the future!
I also always do the “Really??” question to myself. “You haven’t read it in six years, but you’re totally sure you’re going to read it???”
I donate a lot to the library, too!
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Love this! I am constantly going through my bookshelves and removing anything I know I will never get to or any I think I’ll never re-read. It’s just not worth it! Cluttered bookshelves stress me out haha
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I think going through constantly sounds like a great way to do it! Then it’s not a huge project all at once.
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I wrote a post that was really popular about giving away books, possibly because I argued how filthy physical books are. I have some sentimental books I’m now considering giving away. https://grabthelapels.com/2016/05/29/books/
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Oh, and I’ve also been working very hard to not buy books that are at the library.
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Yeah, I worked at a library for awhile and tried not to think about how gross some of the books probably were. Especially the kids books….
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I’ve been looking at my shelves lately and I keep seeing books that need to go. So I made a list and have been slowly adding to it to do it all at once at the end of the summer. This post really helped to simplify the reasons why I should/shouldn’t keep a book! Thanks!
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A list sounds like a great idea! Then you can sit and think on some of your decisions for awhile.
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Yeah, it’s really been helping! I’ve already made the decision that a lot of them definitely need to go, but some of them are still maybes. I’m not a big unhauler so this is progress!
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I’ve been meaning to go through my shelves to sell and give away some books but as usual I was stumped! This chart came at just the right time 🙂
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I’m glad you found it helpful! Good luck!
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I try and go through my books once or twice a year and then give away to my sil or friends what I think they will like. Then I try to sell a few if possible. And what is left (which is usually a lot) I donate. Before I would take them to a second-hand book store but they stopped 😦 I still have to take my very big box to goodwill but since we have a lot of other stuff going that way including a cabinet soon, we are going to just do it all in one haul.
This year I did an unhaul at the start of the year but then i also realized throughout the year I wasn’t going to be reading some after reading the first book so those got unhauled too.
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That’s a really great idea to have a schedule for going through your books so you don’t have to do it all at once!
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I actually REALLY need to unhaul, and very soon. I think this chart will help A LOT with that, so THANK YOU ❤
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Good luck! I’m glad you enjoyed the chart!
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I actually declutter on a “constant basis.” *lol* It sounds worse than it really is, though. As soon as I finish a book, I decide if I either want to keep it or donate it to the library. And if I didn’t enjoy it enjoy, then off to the library it goes. I went through a couple larger purges of my shelves last year when I went through a major reorganization phase at home. So now I guess you could call my periodic library donations a sort of “maintenance program.”
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I’ve been trying to do it more regularly, as well! It’s easier if I haven’t been hanging onto the book for five years. 😉
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What a wonderful infographic! I had to downsize my books after moving one too many times, and I agonized over what to keep and what to get rid of. I pretty much came to the same conclusions as the infographic 🙂 Hard-to-find books get kept, as well as books that I love and re-read. Everything else goes on so that somebody else can enjoy them…
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I also tend to downsize when I move, particularly since it’s usually a large enough distance I tend to ship things instead of getting a truck.
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I am currently in the “hoarding all the books I can even if I know I will never read them” phase haha I am trying to create my own little library even though noone will ever borrow them. Once this phase passes and I run out of shelf space I will have to start getting rid of some haha. Your flow chart is great 😀 I will have to use it if I ever decide I need to get rid of books!
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Same! I also have dreams of people borrowing my books, and basically no one ever does!
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This is great we just moved and my husband declared we have too many books. Will be using this chart as we unpack.
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Good luck! I hope the move went well!
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Loved this! Smiled at the flow chart – really funny and helpful!
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