Each week we look at a collection of a few books on a topic. You can explore the books on your own, or use them as a foundation for building a display in your library!
(All the book links below lead to Amazon; if you click on one and buy things from Amazon, CMLE may receive a small percentage of Amazon’s profits. Thanks!)
The new year is coming soon and that means boxes of stuff, new gifts to find places for and wading through things that you don’t remember you had. What does that mean? Time to organize. We here at CMLE love to organize and we know library folks do too. So enjoy the book bouquet and get sorted.
The Complete Book of Home Organization by Toni Hammersley
“Have you ever wished you had the time and tools to organize your house in a clutter-free, design-conscious, Pinterest-worthy way? From storage solutions and cleaning tips to secret space-saving methods and expert strategies, The Complete Book of Home Organization is packed with the tips and shortcuts you need to effectively organize your home.
From small spaces and apartment solutions to how to tackle a big, messy home with a 15-week total home organization challenge, this book covers it all. The Complete Book of Home Organization spells out everything you need to de-clutter your house, store your belongings, and keep your home—and life—in tip-top shape. With high-quality design, intricate detail, and a durable flexicover—this manual is the perfect gift!
Organize the 30 main spaces of your home, including the living and dining spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms, guest areas, baby and kids’ rooms, utility spaces and garages, entryways and offices, patios and decks, closets and pet areas! Keep track of your pantry, holiday and craft supplies, weekly menu planning, keepsakes, and schedules. From the basement to the attic, this book covers every nook and cranny.
With step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, and handy checklists, say goodbye to a messy home and wasted storage space!”
Home Organization Tear-outs for the Whole Family by Kristi Dominguez
“Busy parents and families who rely on home binders know how important organization is. By using the pages from Home Organization Tear Outs for the Whole Family, you can keep all of your important information in one safe place, as well as utilize the lists, chore charts, calendars, guidelines and labels to keep your whole home in tip-top shape. The cheerful and fun designs will get the whole family involved without you playing taskmaster, and make your life easier, less hectic and more coordinated.
Eliminate clutter and organize your home, and turn those to-do lists into ta-da lists. The super user-friendly tear outs are designed to be pulled out, laminated and used again and again. See your whole home sparkle and shine in no time.”
Get It Together Girl! 28- Day Guide to Practical NOT Perfect Home Organization by Karyn Beach
“Designed for the woman who doesn’t have the time to get organized! Get It Together Girl! uses the time and the money you have to get you the organization you crave. Tired of losing your keys? Scared to eat half the stuff in your refrigerator? Tired of wading through outdated clothes and a sea of shoes? You’ve come to the right place. Get It Together Girl! gets you together in just 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Weekends are optional!”
The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals (Includes Refrigerator Labels) by Clea Shearer
“There’s decorating, and then there’s organizing. From the Instagram-sensation home experts (with a serious fan club that includes Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mindy Kaling), here is an accessible, room-by-room guide to establishing new order in your home.
Believe this: every single space in your house has the potential to function efficiently and look great. The mishmash of summer and winter clothes in the closet? Yep. Even the dreaded junk drawer? Consider it done. And the best news: it’s not hard to do—in fact, it’s a lot of fun.
From the home organizers who made their orderly eye candy the method that everyone swears by comes Joanna and Clea’s signature approach to decluttering. The Home Edit walks you through paring down your belongings in every room, arranging them in a stunning and easy-to-find way (hello, labels!), and maintaining the system so you don’t need another do-over in six months. When you’re done, you’ll not only know exactly where to find things, but you’ll also love the way it looks.
A masterclass and look book in one, The Home Edit is filled with bright photographs and detailed tips, from placing plastic dishware in a drawer where little hands can reach to categorizing pantry items by color (there’s nothing like a little ROYGBIV to soothe the soul). Above all, it’s like having your best friends at your side to help you turn the chaos into calm.”
Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff By Dana K. White
“You don’t have to live overwhelmed by stuff–you can get rid of clutter for good!
While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, many of us simply can’t purge it all and start from nothing. Yet a home with too much stuff is a home that is difficult to maintain, so where do we begin? Add in paralyzing emotional attachments and constant life challenges, and it can feel almost impossible to make real decluttering progress.
In Decluttering at the Speed of Life, decluttering expert and author Dana White identifies the mind-sets and emotional challenges that make it difficult to declutter. Then, in her signature humorous approach, she provides workable solutions to break through these struggles and get clutter out–for good!
But more than simply offering strategies, Dana dives deep into how to implement them, no matter the reader’s clutter level or emotional resistance to decluttering. She helps identify procrasticlutter–the stuff that will get done eventually so it doesn’t seem urgent–as well as how to make progress when there’s no time to declutter.
Sections of the book include
- Why You Need This Book (You Know Why)
- Your Unique Home
- Decluttering in the Midst of Real Life
- Change Your Mind, Change Your Home
- Breaking Through Your Decluttering Delusions
- Working It Out Room by Room
- Helping Others Declutter
- Real Life Goes On (and On)
As long as we’re living and breathing, new clutter will appear. The good news is that decluttering can get easier, become more natural, and require significantly fewer hours, less emotional bandwidth, and little to no sweat to keep going.”
