Kick-Start Your New Year: Organize Your Bookcase

Tonight is the perfect night to give this often neglected area of your home a little love. If you have a large bookcase, it can be surprisingly versatile in terms of storage. Start by cleaning off your shelves, and then rearranging with these tricks.

 

 

Cleaning

 

1. Scan your shelves for any books that you no longer want to keep. Box or bag them up to donate to your local library or to sell at a used bookstore.

2. Start at the top of the bookcase and wipe the books and shelves with a dust cloth.

3. Dust the frame of the bookcase, including the top.

*Bonus: Keep your books from getting musty by hiding a silica packet (the kind you usually toss from shoe boxes or handbags that you buy) on each shelf.

 

Organizing

 

Try any of these tricks to make your bookshelves look professionally styled.

 

- Think vertically and horizontally. Stacking books in both directions adds visual interest. Plus, books that are stacked horizontally can be used as book ends.


- Store odds and ends in boxes. If you don't have room for your camera cables, cell phone and iPod chargers, use a fabric box to store them on your shelves. Just don't forget to label the outside.


- Organize books by color instead of by category. You'll end up with a bookcase that looks more like a work of art.


- Display things other than books. Clear glass jars or vases are perfect for displaying collections (and again serving as bookends).


- Finally, if you want to make updating your shelves into a weekend project, paint the back of the bookcase in a color that compliments your wall color but is a few shades darker. (As in the photo above.) It'll give your reading material that extra pop it's been missing.

 

Do you use any of these tricks to style your bookcases now? Or are there any of them you plan to try in your home?

 

Related:

22 Ways to Arrange Your Shelves

31 Smart, Low-Cost Home Organizing Ideas

Organizing for Your Personality