Getting your bookshelves cleaned and organized can be a daunting task. Until you run out of space for new books, it’s not something you really want to handle. But those overstuffed shelves are creating clutter in your space that you have to look at every day.
It’s time to deal with it and reduce the clutter. It’s a big project so you may want to get help from your spouse and your kids; after all, their books are probably contributing to the mess too.
1. As you start to take your books out, organize them into piles based on how you want to put them back. Wipe each book off with a dust rag and don’t forget the exposed page edges.
2. If there are any books you no longer want, set them aside for donation to the library or used bookstore later.
3. Now that the shelves are empty, give them a good dusting with furniture polish, making sure to get into all the corners.
4. Start planning to put your books back by measuring your shelves and your largest books to see if you need to adjust any shelves. Plan to put your heaviest books on the bottom shelves.