cleanse up your crowded bookshelves by donating , recycling , or upcycling your previous books .
Brian McWeeney
Christian Bible are treasures that hold memories , stories , and noesis . But there comes a time when you have more books than shelves and you need to part with some of them . decide what to do with one-time books can be challenging , whether you are moving , downsizing , or simplydecluttering . Here are some idea for part with your books responsibly , either by recycling them , upcycling them , or come up new homes where they will be eff .
Credit:Brian McWeeney
1. Start a Little Lending Library
You ’ve come across these small public bookcases full of free leger . Start one on your street and fill it with your title from your own shelves . promote neighbors to take and borrow leger to build biotic community , inspire reader , and allow you to clear your smother . Little Free Library , a non-profit-making organisation , has tips on building a library along with amap of more than 150,000 public Scripture exchange .
Do n’t have metre or HOA favorable reception to set forth your own fiddling loaning library ? Donate your books to someone else ’s .
2. Donate Old Books to a Worthy Cause
One person ’s quondam book is another person ’s unread treasure . Pass along previous books to your local library or a thrift depot that benefits a salutary cause . Goodwill and The Salvation Army both take over donated Bible , and many church and human fellowship run local thrift stores that will turn your books into money for a good grounds . Put your books into aBetter World Booksdropbox and they ’ll be sold online to benefit non - profit literacy groups around the world . Pickup Pleasewill take modest boxes of books in the city it serve , betray them , and donate the take to Jacob’s ladder .
3. Mail Old Books to New Readers
you may transport your erstwhile books to establishment that will distribute them to mass in need . Good Book To Prisonersis a nonprofit that send donate books to incarcerated citizenry . ADERCsends donated books to community in the Congo , Reader to Readerdonates your mail box of children ’s book and young grownup books to under - resourced schools and libraries across America , andKids Need to Readsends your donate script to needy U.S. child .
4. Make a Planter Out of an Old Book
With a utility tongue , cut a hole into an old book big enough to maintain a minor potted plant . You will only be capable to trim back about 30 Page at a sentence , so be patient and keep go until you have made a hole deep enough for the potted plant . Line the cakehole with plastic , drop a potted plant in the hole , and you ’ve got a plantation owner that will please a book buff .
Put a drought - hardy works in your book plantation owner so you wo n’t have to irrigate much . We commend a succulent or an air flora .
5. Make a Bookmark Out of Book Spines
Some people get overnice at the thought of cut up a book and turning it into a craft task . When upcycling sure-enough book , take ledger that are not vintage or rare . Use Scripture that were slew - produced and would be turned into flesh if you did n’t metamorphose them into planter , bookmarks , or lamp . Use a craft tongue to slice the prickle off of previous hardcover books . practice a hole in the top of each spine screening and thread a comic strip of leather or a laurel wreath through the hole as an idiom . These make nice gift for book devotee .
6. Recycle Your Books
If your book are n’t in great shape , consider recycling them . Some local recycling programs accept paperbacked books and hardback books that have had the covers removed . Your quondam book fall into the motley paper recycling class . Recycling books is also dear for the planet . According to Earth911.org , each ton of reuse paper saves 3 cubic yards of landfill space , 380 gallon of crude oil , 17 trees , 4,000 kilowatts of Energy Department , and 7,000 gal of water . Find a place near you that take recycled Word with thisrecycling locator .
7. Craft a Book-Page Wreath
ferment your honest-to-goodness books into doorway interior decoration . Cut pages from an honest-to-god book into lowly part and fall or paste them onto a wreath nucleotide . There are many video tutorials on making a book page wreath , so receive one you like and get snipping and fold . You ’ll get more shelf outer space along with the satisfaction of fix something with your hands .
8. Make a Book Clock
Turn an old hardcover Bible into a paries clock . It ’s an easy project you may create using a clock apparent motion kit ( uncommitted at craft store ) . Drill a hole in the book cover , glue numbers on the cover song , and insert the clock move outfit . Display your book clock by standing it on destruction or hang it on the paries .
9. Turn a Book Into a Secret Box
excavate out a hardcover volume and transform it into a boxwood where you could hide item like a spare key , underground note , or money . beak a hardcover book and paste the pages together . When the mucilage has dry out , spread out the book and use a craft tongue to cut a hole into the glued pageboy . Be patient — you will only be able-bodied to cut through 20 or 30 page at a time . Keep cutting through the layers of pages until you ’ve catch a hole that ’s the depth you want . Brush a mucilage and water supply solution on the inside of the fix to seal it . Once wry , fill your hidden leger box seat with hold dear items and put it on your ledge with other books . Only you will hump this Koran has a hidden compartment .
10. Make a Stacked-Book Table Lamp
Upcycle old Book by transforming them into a table lamp . grease one’s palms a lamp kit and lamp shade . pile and format 8 to 10 hardcover book , depending on how marvelous you desire the lamp to be . Drill a yap in the middle of each book . With a workmanship tongue , cut a communication channel in the bottom book — this will be the lamp stand — where the electric cord will go . Attach the rod from the lamp kit to the stand book , then thread the other Christian Bible on the rod . Assemble the lamp kit percentage harmonise to the manufacturer ’s instructions and confiscate the lamp shade for a one - of - a - kind rule book lamp .
11. Sell or Donate Books to a Secondhand Bookstore
If you populate near a secondhand bookshop , youmay be capable to betray , donate , or patronage - in your previous books . Some used or secondhand bookstore specialize in specific topic , like kid ’s lit , science fable , or textbooks , so check with your local store before you show up with a boxwood of your old Holy Scripture .
12. Turn an Old Book into an Art Journal
ferment an erstwhile hardcover book into an outlet for your creativity by drawing , painting , or collaging right over the print pages . adapted book are a whole genre of cunning . It respects the leger and often creatively incorporate impress countersign into the art , transforming an be Holy Writ into an art object .
13. Host a Book Swap
assemble up your book - loving buddies and have a Quran trade . Trading books saves you money and gives you a chance to socialize . Since you ’re trying to lower your total book count , make it your goal to give away more Holy Scripture at the swap than you take home . If you already belong to to abook club , incorporate a rule book trade at your next meeting .
14. Give Books Away
send an ad listing the book you have to give away on Freecycle.org , NextDoor , a Facebook group , or on Facebook Marketplace and invite people to come in get your Book for gratuitous . If you live in an area with a lot of metrical unit traffic , go analog and put your old record book on your porch or front stoop with a “ free ” foretoken . Passersby will stop to graze .
15. Sell Books Online
If you have rare , out - of - print , or time of origin books , it may be worth your time to betray them to an online bookseller likeBookScouterorAbeBooks . you’re able to enter your book ’s ISBN into a search barroom to get a list of online vender uncoerced to grease one’s palms your used book . publish out your postpaid shipping label , mail the books to the vendor , and get your payment . You could get supernumerary John Cash and more shelf infinite , plus your book start a raw abode where it will be hold dear . you’re able to also trade used books on Amazon .
16. Re-Gift Your Books
Give your old rule book to multitude who would take account them . Personalize your gifted book by including a banker’s bill as to why you chose that book for that person .
