Spring Cleaning: 4 ways to tackle used books

I love Spring. It’s a new chance for me to get organized and de-clutter.

We are a house of readers and even with our Kindles, somehow the hardcover and paperback books pile up every year. I guess there’s just something about holding an actual book.

But when books build up, it not only creates a messy house or playroom, it sets the stage for bad purchases. How many times have you purchased a book or toy for your child, only to return home and realize you already own it? Or maybe you keep buying the same type of book, because you haven’t taken inventory recently and don’t realize your child needs more variety.

To keep our family library under control, I usually send the kids’ used books to my niece who is a middle school teacher. And last year, I finally gathered their adorable baby books and first readers, and passed them on to our newest family members.

I’ve also reached out to our local public school libraries, area daycare centers, homeless shelters and children’s hospitals to see if they need any books. Don’t assume they have been waiting for you to drop off your books. Always ask. Do NOT just show up with boxes.

There’s no shortage of ways to give your books a new life rather than gathering dust on every available surface in your house. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Sell them at a used book store in your neighborhood or online. Bookscouter.com lets you enter the book’s ISBN into its website or free mobile app and will produce a report that shows which online book buyers are willing to buy it, and how much they will pay. If you bought your books on Amazon, the company has a buyback program that allows you to trade in your used books in exchange for Amazon credit.
2. Little Free Library is a great non-profit organization that has one goal: To make books accessible to all. The idea is simple. Take a book, leave a book. You aren’t required to take the books so your donations are welcome. Check the map to find one near you https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/
3. Interested in showing your appreciation for our troops and their families? Then you may want to consider Operation Paperback. This national non-profit organization provides books overseas to deployed troops, wounded warrior programs and veterans hospitals in the United States. The program has expanded to include free shipment of books to any military family. The free online registration makes it easy for you to share which book genres you want to donate. Then it’s a matter of selecting the address you’d like to send the books to.
4. DonationTown.org makes it so easy to donate. They do the heavy lifting of organizing book pick-ups for so many charities. All you have to do is enter your zip code to arrange a pick-up time and a list of local partner charities is generated. You decide which you want to support and that’s it. Pick-up is free.