Swedish death cleaning

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A lot of people get scared away by Swedish death cleaning because of the word “death” and how morbid it sounds. But death is going to happen to all of us (along with taxes and… butter exploding in the microwave); it’s just a fact of life. So what is death cleaning, exactly?

I read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death-Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson and really enjoyed it. It’s a short, light read that gives lots of explanations and concrete examples. In essence, “death cleaning” is the process of going through one’s things while keeping our death in mind. It has been a longstanding practice in Sweden (where it is called döstädning). Some people do this when they are elderly and feel like they are at the end of their life, but a lot of people do this as a matter of course earlier on simply to feel unburdened. I remember that when I was 12 or so, my friend’s mother turned 50 and went through all her belongings to declutter, because she didn’t want her kids to have to do it someday. I believe she’s about to turn 80 now! And here’s a video by Do It On A Dime on the topic, so that you can see what it might look like in the life of a busy 30-something mother (and fellow professional organizer).

How does death cleaning compare to Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, you might wonder? Well, you DO pare down to just the things you love, but with the greater goal of making life easier for those you leave behind. It can be so overwhelming dealing with someone’s estate after they have passed, so anything you can do to make that transition easier for your family will be appreciated. An important extra step, though, is to take care of paperwork pertaining to your estate. Make sure you have your affairs in order: an up-to-date will, instructions for funeral arrangements, all relevant paperwork and passwords in a secure-but-easy-to-access location, etc. Even if you don’t have heirs, it WILL be someone’s problem (here’s an example).

In some cases, there might be things you are keeping for the purpose of handing down to your grown children. If they have their own home, consider passing things on now instead of after your death! Not only will it make life easier for everyone, but you’ll also get the satisfaction of seeing your things get used again. And if your kids don’t want those things? Well, at least now you know, and you can find a better place for them.

You can also create a box with things that are deeply meaningful to you, but would be insignificant to anyone else (or that you would prefer no one sees). Label that box clearly with instructions for your loved ones to dispose of it after you are deceased.

In summary, Swedish death cleaning is an act of kindness meant to avoid burdening your descendants with your stuff. It does require you to adopt a minimalist mindset so as to create a simple lifestyle that is easy to manage and that leaves more room for joy. In that way, it is meant to make your life better.