Yes, you should be cleaning your books — experts explain why
Whether you have a large home library or a few books stacked on a shelf, cleaning bookshelves can be a chore. Reaching all the nooks and crannies, especially if your shelves are wide and tall, piled high with objects and books, can feel like an unnecessary task. But cleaning your bookshelves — and your books themselves! — can actually create a healthier living environment.
We talked to cleaning expert Courtney Walsh from Homeaglow, to get all the details about this often-skipped cleaning task.
Why you should clean books ( and your bookshelves)
Walsh says cleaning both the individual books and the bookshelves they sit on is important for a clean home. Cleaning your bookshelves can prevent dust buildup, protect your books (and any other items you store on your shelves), and make your home look and feel fresher. Be sure to clean the entire bookshelf, not just the sections most visible to you, to ensure a clean result.
Walsh explains how routine cleaning preserves your books as dust, dirt, and debris can build up over time, which will also help prevent mold and insect infestations.
How often to clean books
To keep a cleaning regimen intact, Walsh recommends breaking your cleaning routine into two phases: Regular and deep cleaning. To start, she recommends cycling through one regular clean at least once per month and one deep clean every three months.
How to clean books
To help you fine-tune your cleaning process, Walsh shares her tips for both regular and deep cleaning below.
How to clean books for a regular cleaning
Routine cleaning will rid your surfaces of any baseline dust that's collected on shelves and the spines of books.
1. Vacuum the top edges of your books: Use your vacuum's brush attachment and suction to collect any dust that's settled on the top edges of your books, being gentle in the process.
2. Wipe down the book edges: Next, use a dry, clean cloth to wipe over the top and outward-facing edges of your books to clean any remaining dust your vacuum handheld may have missed.
3. Vacuum shelves: Using your soft brush attachment, vacuum the exposed areas of your bookshelves to remove dust build-up.
4. Wipe down the shelves: Using a clean cloth, wipe down your shelves and books using a mild cleaner (which will also help to remove stubborn stains or build-up).
How to deep clean books
Regular cleaning will remove most dust from your books and shelves, but a deeper clean is the only way to treat heavier stains or individual items.
1. Empty your shelves: Take out any books and objects from your shelves and sort them into collections for easy reorganization.
2. Wipe and vacuum: Use a vacuum hose with a soft brush attachment to extract any dust. Next, use a clean cloth to wipe down any remaining dust or to tackle stubborn stains or debris.
3. Dust the outer edges of your books and items: Using a dry cloth, wipe down all outside edges of your books — the tops, bottoms and sides — to remove any dust that's settled on top of them or in between covers. For other objects that need a deeper clean, you may need to use a damp cloth or a microfiber cloth.
4. Put everything back: Once everything is clean and dry, arrange your books and items back on your shelves.
(Better Homes and Gardens is a magazine and website devoted to ideas and improvement projects for your home and garden, plus recipes and entertaining ideas. Online at www.bhg.com.)
©2025 Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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