are there too many books?
Books are the one thing I don’t mind spending money on, however, after a while, the shelves get too full. As I look around my house deciding which areas to clear, I wonder what to do with all of them. there are only so many shelves in them, right? but I would never throw one away… that seems sacrilege to me!
You are reading: What to do with old books
As we strive to reduce clutter in our lives, we need to take a hard look at how many things we really need. but how do you decide which ones to keep or delete?
Getting rid of books is hard. Here are some easy tips to help you narrow down your collection this month.
- Series don’t have to stay together. If there’s only one story in a series you really like, get rid of the others.
- copy recipes from cookbooks if you only use one or two. you don’t need to save everything if you don’t use most of the recipes.
- don’t keep old textbooks. they might remind you of your glory days as a college student, though However, do you really need them? if you don’t use those textbooks in your current career, recycle or donate them.
- if you finished it, ask yourself if you’ll read it again. Do you really want to read your favorite athlete’s biography more than once?
- Transition to an e-reader. you can get many of the classics for free as an e-book. get rid of the paper version if you really think you’ll read them again. e-readers can be green alternatives to paper books.
book donation tips
the written word is precious. don’t let it end up in landfills! Of course, not all books are worthy of a second home. sometimes your old school textbooks just don’t have any more value.
how do you know if you should look for book recycling bins or sell them on ebay? Here are some book donation tips that might help. throwing them away is not a good way to deal with them! for more sustainable cleaning tips, check out my post on recycling resources
- Do not donate books that are water damaged, smell of smoke, or otherwise damaged. nobody wants them, believe me.
- Most book donation programs only accept books. not photo albums, used sticker books, or old newspapers. Also, don’t donate old library books. that’s not cool. return them to the library if possible.
- ask yourself if it’s outdated. for example, old encyclopedias (over 5 years old) do no one any good.
- have questions? call and ask contact your local book donation center and ask about their acceptance guidelines. don’t waste time donating things they don’t need or want.
Should you throw away the books?
See Also: Here Are the Best New Books to Read in March 2022 | Time
In my opinion, throwing books is a crime! there is no reason for a beautiful story to end up rotting in some landfill. If you don’t have any way to relocate or reuse old books, at least recycle them.
Paperback books can be recycled, including the binding. however, if it has gotten wet or the pages have turned brown, they should be thrown away. you can’t recycle pages that have aged to the point where they turn tan.
easy ways to recycle old books
make sure your books don’t end up clogging landfills. Do you wonder what to do with books after reading them? Here are some tips to help you learn how to get rid of books without throwing them away.
sell your old books on ebay
It’s easy to do… all you need to do is set up an account. once you have that, enter the isbn number of the book you want to get rid of and all the details about it will appear. this is a great way to earn a little money if you have some top sellers in need of a new home.
where to donate books
many thrift stores, including goodwill stores, accept books. you can use this as a tax deduction, so be sure to get a receipt or proof of donation to include with your tax paperwork.
Donate to places like local hospitals, homeless shelters, adult literacy programs, and nursing homes. look for book donation bins near you.
sell them on consignment sales.
I used to do this quite a bit with children’s books. our sales have a ‘book bag’ section where you can put 5 or 10 similar books in a large zip lock bag and price it as one piece. saves a lot of time!
donate your books to someone on freecycle.
This is a great website to trade with others in your local community! donate a sci-fi thriller and maybe someone will give you some garden stuff you need this spring!
Find a used bookstore in your area.
Wondering what to do with books that can spawn you new books? Get credit for your donations at most second-hand bookstores. use that credit to buy other books in the store.
Use them for a social good project.
encourage your library to participate in the better world books program. They work with more than 3,000 libraries in the US, Canada, and the UK to keep used library books out of landfills and get them into the hands of people who need them. There is no charge to participate in this group.
organize a neighborhood book swap.
This is a great way to get to know your neighbors while finding new and great reading material at the same time! Check out Book Riot for tips on hosting a book swap.
ask about book donation programs:
do a random act of kindness.
Join bookcrossing.com and brighten someone’s day with a random act of kindness! all you have to do is put a label inside your book, leave it in a public place for random strangers to pick up, and track your progress online. How far will your favorite mystery go?
search for libraries that need it.
check out adopt a library, they have a long list of libraries in schools, on reservations and even prisons that need all kinds of books.
Looking for cool things to do with old books? make crafts with books
There are tons of crafts that turn your books into new creations. Here are a few that caught my eye:
See Also: Dani Pettrey – Book Series In Order
- make a necklace out of a book page. get instructions here: mandipidy.com
- turn them into pencil holders. full details at the3rsblog.wordpress.com
- make a library lamp out of books. see thriftyfun.com for information on how to do this.