Swedish Death Cleaning To Declutter Your Whole Home
Swedish Death Cleaning is a fantastic way to declutter your home.
What is Swedish Death cleaning?
This movement became popular with the 2017 publication of author Margareta Magnusson’s best-selling book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter. This book shares the Swedish concept of clearing out the unnecessary belongings while keeping the meaningful and sentimental items to reduce the burden on your family after you pass.
While people might assume the concept of death cleaning is only for older people, Magnusson’s book suggests it can be done at any stage of life.
Bonus: It’s a short book! If you want to read a little bit at a time while working on your home, it’s a good book that won’t take you much time to finish.
How do I start Swedish Death Cleaning to declutter my home?
1. Assessment
I know it sounds overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Start by evaluating what you have in your home, your storage units, and any other storage areas. Think about what you need and what possessions add value to your everyday life.
Spend time identifying why this decluttering process is important to you. Journal if it helps. If you don’t have a really strong reason why you want to do this, your motivation will be fleeting and you won’t keep going after the initial first push.
2. Decluttering
You can’t organize clutter so you need to discard unnecessary things, whether you sell, donate, throw away or give to friends or family. When you have too much stuff in your physical space, you can’t enjoy what you do love.
These 2 fundamental decluttering questions may help:
* Does this item bring me joy?
Be inspired by Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (add link or not needed?) (further emphasized by her Netflix TV series) and consider the emotional value of an item. Keep what makes you happy. Surround yourself with items that positively impact your well-being and let go of items with bad memories or that bring up bad feelings, like guilt.
* Will anyone else find this useful or meaningful after I’m gone?
Shift the focus outward and consider the future practicality and emotional value of items for your loved ones after your passing. Will your possessions be a burden or treasure for your family and friends? Are there any items that no longer hold joy for you, but may be important to someone else and need to be saved for them?
These questions foster a mindset of intentional living and thoughtful legacy planning.
How long does Swedish Death Cleaning Take to declutter my home?
There isn’t a perfect answer for this.
It can be a slow process; the first place to start decluttering is the kitchen cabinets or another less emotional spot. It’s an easy win. Leave the smaller items with the strong emotional attachments, like love letters, for last. However, it is beneficial to treat it as a project with a finish date.
It’s a good idea to start with your own excess stuff and build those decluttering muscles with your own death cleaning before helping at your parents’ home. A lifetime of possessions takes time to go through. Pace yourself as you make decisions, let go of things and fall in love with other items again.
The best way to know is to get started and see.
For more help: Check out the post 77 minimalist tips to declutter and organize your home
“A loved one wishes to inherit nice things from you.”
This quote from the book sums up a practice in the Swedish death cleaning process where people use red stickers or dots to mark items. These red dots are placed on items to indicate to loved ones which belongings are particularly meaningful or valuable.
This system serves a few key purposes:
Clarification of Wishes: It clarifies the person’s wishes regarding which items are important to them and should be kept or distributed in specific ways after they pass away.
Ease of Decision-Making: These markers can make decisions easier for grieving family members by identifying which items held special significance. This may reduce disputes or uncertainty about what to do with certain belongings.
Sentimental Connection: Red dots can indicate sentimental items that might not be immediately apparent to others. Knowing an item was specifically marked by their loved one can add to its sentimental value for the family member or friend who receives it.
This allows you to enjoy these family treasures and gives you peace of mind that your most cherished possessions will be recognized later.
Although reducing clutter and possessions is helpful for people of all ages, it can be really important for older adults. For those who wish to stay in their own home longer, leaning into minimalism and having less to manage makes it easier for them to take care of their home on their own.
3. Organization
When you have less stuff, you will have the space for your things and home organization should be a little easier. You won’t need a professional organizer. (The first time you open the closet doors and can find what you need, all the effort is worth it!)
4. Documentation
Paper can quickly become clutter, but this method will help you reach a permanent form of organization for paper. Organizing documents in your home is a crucial aspect of Swedish death cleaning as you declutter your home, ensuring that your important papers are safe, accessible and understandable for your loved ones. It’s a good idea to include passwords, financial accounts, and other essential details.
Here are some effective tips to organize your documents:
Categorize Your Documents: Sort your documents into categories: personal identification (passports, driver’s licenses), legal documents (wills, powers of attorney), financial records (bank statements, retirement accounts), property documents (deeds, mortgage paperwork), and personal letters or instructions.
Purge Unnecessary Papers: Shred outdated warranties, old receipts, old statements and expired policies that you no longer need. Be aware of appropriate guidelines for keeping documents with legal, financial, or sentimental importance.
Create a Filing System: Use a filing cabinet, folders, or binders to organize the documents by category. Label each folder to make it easy to find what you’re looking for.
Digitize When Possible: Consider scanning important documents and storing them digitally in a secure location/ encrypted hard drive/ cloud service. This is a great way to reduce physical clutter and prevent loss of documents to damage or decay. Back up digital files in more than one location. Be sure to keep track of passwords, both for your own convenience as well as for loved ones who may need to access files or want to look at photos in the future.
Securely Store Vital Documents: Keep highly sensitive documents, like your will, power of attorney, and life insurance policies, in a secure but accessible location. The right place is fireproof and waterproof; a safe in your home or a safe deposit box at a bank is good.
Leave Instructions: Write a letter or document that outlines where important documents can be found and any pertinent information, such as the login information for digital storage if you’ve digitized documents.
Regular Updates and Reviews: Make it a habit to review and update your documents regularly. Life changes – marriage, divorce, births, and deaths – can affect the relevance and accuracy of your documents.
Communicate with Loved Ones: Inform a trusted family member or friend about your document organization system and where to find essential documents in case something happens to you. This step ensures that your efforts in organizing your documents will serve their intended purpose.
5. Communication
Discuss your intentions with your family and loved ones, so they understand your wishes and can support you in the process. If you get them involved early, they may be able to help with the physical work like taking donations to the charity shops, the donation center or the garbage dump.
This is also a good time to share your family history, identify the people in those old photos and help the next generation understand why you kept these personal mementos. The most important thing to remember is that your legacy is people, not material things.
6. Maintenance
Maintenance needs to continue on a day-to-day basis and will become a way of life. Review your belongings often to ensure you continue to live with purpose and less mess in your living space.
The biggest takeaways about Swedish death cleaning to declutter your home are the benefits of simplifying your life, preparing for the future and making the process of handling their belongings easier for their loved ones. Whether you use Swedish Death cleaning,the Konmari method or another process, this will have a positive impact on your mental and physical health.
Related Resources
Other great post: 10 Swedish Death Cleaning Tips
