Swedish Death Cleaning for the Living

"The more I examine the issue of clutter, the more effort I put into combating it, because it really does act as a weight.
– Gretchen Rubin

The concept of Swedish death cleaning has become all the rage in home organization thanks to a Netflix show about the subject. What is Swedish death cleaning? How does it help you as much as your loved ones? And when should you start the process? We'll answer these questions and more so that you can feel more comfortable when thinking about the end of life.

What Is Swedish Death Cleaning?

Dostadning is the Swedish term for death cleaning. The concept was popularized in America by Swedish author Margareta Magnusson in her New York Times best-seller "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter."

Initially, the phrase "death cleaning" may conjure morbid thoughts of cleaning the home of a deceased person, but the actual meaning is something much more optimistic: relieving yourself and your loved ones from the burden of all the stuff you've collected over your lifetime. As the book's subtitle says, the process is meant to be freeing for everyone involved.

How Does Swedish Death Cleaning Help the Living?

The process of death cleaning is decluttering thoughtfully. Each object you've accumulated during your life – whether through buying or receiving from others – is considered for its emotional value and usability. For example, if you have a lamp that your parents gave you when you first moved away from home, but it doesn't fit your current décor and you haven't used it in ages, it probably has happy memories attached despite its lack of use. With Swedish death cleaning, you hold on to those memories but get rid of the lamp. As you work through the process with items you never use, you'll find that decluttering leaves your home feeling lighter.

While you're relieving yourself of excess things, you are also preparing your home for after you've passed, which will help your family and friends in the future. The less work they must do to clear your home, the easier processing their grief could be. Instead of wondering if the items in your home were important to you, they'll already understand that, at the very least, everything was either valued for its use or its memories.

Going back to the old lamp, once you've decided it no longer serves its purpose, you can dispose of it properly. For example, you can donate it if it still works or trash it if it doesn't. For larger items, like furniture, décor, and even clothing, deciding whether to keep it or let it go is straightforward. But what about things like artwork from your kids' kindergarten years, old notebooks from college, or that box of photos you've had in the closet for a decade? Most people would keep the photos but trash the long-neglected college notebooks, but it's up to you to decide their importance in your life.

If you feel the task is too daunting, ask for help. Bring in the loved ones who may end up with your things after you pass, and let them assist you in determining if the value is purely sentimental to you or if they'd appreciate having them in their own homes.

While you're working through the memories, you may find that complex emotions surface, and that's okay. Another benefit of Swedish death cleaning is the opportunity to clear out emotional baggage, too. If the feelings that surface are too difficult to deal with on your own, it's a good time to contact a therapist or counselor to help you process them. The lighter we can make our spirits, the more peaceful our eventual passing will be.