In most homes, the bookshelf aspires to be a fruitful library. Atop its shelves are your favourite novels, biographies, history books and books on your ‘to read’ list. Over time however; these shelves turn into a permanent residence for your travel souvenirs, heirlooms and nick knacks. Instead of an aspiring library, your bookshelf suddenly becomes mismatched chaos. Don’t fret! According to Andrew Muller, celebrity decluttering guru, these three tips will help declutter your bookshelf so you can restore it to is original purpose!
- One home for everything: Sure, you can momentarily rest your nail clippers, morning coffee and vacation souvenirs on your bookshelf, but make sure they don’t take up residence there. When the mess becomes too much to handle, it’s time to get to work. Start by removing everything from your bookshelf. Put all the books in one pile, and everything else into another. Give each shelf a wipe down with a damp microfibre cloth. Don’t put any books back onto the shelf until you’ve asked yourself one question; will I read it? If the answer is no, it’s time to donate the book to your local library, favourite charity, friends or family. Recycle any books that are no longer legible or have been marked up and highlighted.
- Like with like: Before you put back the books you are keeping, decide on an organizational technique. For example, sort your books alphabetical, by genre, or if you’re so inclined, by colour. Next, put your odds and ends where they actually belong (like putting your nail clippers with your nail kit), and walk your morning coffee mug to the dishwasher or sink. You will need to make hard and fast decisions about where to store vacation souvenirs. If you’re keeping them all, place them with your other souvenirs or in a trinket box.
- Beginning and end: In order to make sure your decluttering process is a success, you must ensure you complete the whole task from start to finish. If you’re a minimalist, the job might only take five minutes. If you’re a bookworm who buys every New York Times best seller, it may take longer to sort through. Start the decluttering process when you know you have enough time to see it all the way through.
