Our favourite decluttering method for your books – and how it can help make you some extra cash

There are some types of items which are simply objectively more difficult to declutter than others – cards from loved ones, artwork made by kids and, of course, books.

As tricky as it may seem, there are very few of us who truly have no books to declutter, and the benefits to having a good old clear out of your collection are worth it. Think how many shelves in your home are stacked with novels you're never planning to read again, collecting dust and cluttering up the space. Exactly.

To make this process simpler, we've explained which of our favourite decluttering methods is best to helping you clear out your books, and how you can even make money by doing so.

Declutter books using the four box method

One of the most popular methods for decluttering is the four box method and, with a little tweak, it can be ideal for tackling for book hoard.

With this method, you're separating the items into four piles – keep, store, donate and bin. While these are excellent choices for a lot of items in the home, we'd advise swapping out 'bin' for 'sell'. After all, few people are going to be happy to knowingly throw away a book.

Before you begin sorting your books into piles assess how much space you actually have for books. You need to be realistic about how many you can keep, and if you really want your shelving to be purely books or if you need to factor in more space for other decor, like plants, pictures and vases and all-round shelf faffery.

Don't forget to declutter your coffee table and recipe books, too - it's not just novels we may have too many of!

Which books to keep

Once you know how many books you can happily keep, it's time to work out which ones. Ask yourself why you're keeping each book – and be honest with yourself. Holding on for a book because of sentimental reasons is perfectly fine, but don't add meaning to every single tome. Some of us keep books because they look cool or impressive, but these aren't ones you need to hold on to.

Perhaps some books are there because one day you're planning on getting around to reading it - but are you? If it's been there for quite some time it may be the moment to accept it's not one for you. If you disagree, make sure it's next up in your 'to be read' list and that you definitely pick it up next.

When it comes to cookbooks, you may be keeping them all for one recipe. Again, be honest with yourself about whether you're using these!

Which books to store

Storing books isn't advised unless you have to. The chances of you remembering about a book you can't see are slim to none, so you're simply putting off the inevitable about moving it on. However, there are some exceptions.

Especially sentimental books may be worth tucking away for when you need them, for example. Then there are seasonal books. There probably won't be many of these, but think Christmas or Easter books, so store these away with your holiday decorations and bring those out when the time rolls around.

Which books to donate and sell

Which books to donate and which to sell will largely come down to personal choice, however sometimes the amount you make on selling can dictate this for you. Otherwise, it may be as just as practical thing that you don't want to donate heavy books or a large collection if you have to physically get them to the charity shop yourself.

Some books may be donating in that they're given to family or friends, so look through your 'donate' and 'sell' piles and think about whether anyone you know would enjoy them.

When it comes to selling your books, it really couldn't be easier, and by selling through World of Books you'll receive an extra 15% on top of your trade value. Download the World of Books app, scan the barcodes of your books and you'll receive an instant price. If you're happy, then pack them up and send the books off with a free courier or drop-off service and then get paid via your choice of bank transfer, Paypal or cheque. Easy money!

Let us know how you declutter your books, and whether you've tried selling yours, or if there should be another box added to this version of the 'four box method'.