Often, the belongings we have in our home reflect a life lived well, time spent with family and friends, and other cherished memories. But getting rid of an item doesn’t mean we forget the memories.
Swedish Death Cleaning can benefit us now and our loved ones after we’re gone
Swedish Death Cleaning, or “döstädning” in Swedish, is a methodical approach to decluttering that encourages individuals, especially (but not only!) those who are older, to simplify their lives and possessions to ease the burden on loved ones who will handle their estate after they pass away. The concept has been around for a while in Swedish and Scandinavian cultures but began to gain international attention when the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, written by Swedish artist Margareta Magnusson, was published in 2017.
This method gains profound significance when considered within the context of women’s lives. Historically, women have often been the custodians of family heirlooms, caretakers of homes, and the keepers of family memories. This role, while rich and fulfilling, also comes with the responsibility of managing a multitude of possessions that accumulate over a lifetime. Swedish Death Cleaning offers a dignified, practical approach to managing these possessions, ensuring that the legacy left behind is one of love, simplicity, and thoughtfulness, rather than a burden of clutter for loved ones to sort through.
I had heard of the concept a while ago but only recently decided to look into it. I read Ms. Magnusson’s book and other materials and thought I’d share with you what I’ve learned regarding its principles, benefits, and practical steps.
Introduction to Swedish Death Cleanin
Definition: The concept of “döstädning,” a hybrid of the Swedish words for death (“dö”) and cleaning (“städning”). A Good Housekeeping article describes it this way: “Swedish death cleaning is a well-known concept in Swedish and Scandinavian culture, where you work on eliminating unnecessary items from your home, so loved ones won’t be burdened with the task after you pass.”
Origins: As I understand it, the concept of Swedish Death Cleaning developed within the context of Swedish culture, which prioritizes simplicity, efficiency, sustainability, cleanliness, order, and a considerate attitude towards family and friends. If you’ve been listening for a few years you might remember our guest in episode 231, Swedish journalist Jane Andersson, who introduced us to the Swedish value of lagom, roughly translated as “not too much, not too little.” Swedish death cleaning reflects that value in its focus on eliminating anything that’s unnecessary, both to make your own life simpler and to make things easier on your loved ones after you’re gone.
The Swedish Death Cleaning Bible notes that “By tidying up one’s life systematically, people ensure that their loved ones are not burdened with the task later.”
Philosophical Underpinnings
- Mindfulness and Materialism: Swedish death cleaning encourages mindfulness about the accumulation of possessions and challenges societal norms around materialism.
The Swedish Death Cleaning Bible summarizes the unique philosophy behind Swedish Death Cleaning as:
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- Acknowledging the inevitability of death. (“By accepting the inevitable nature of one’s passing, individuals can free themselves from the overwhelming burden of material possessions they accumulate throughout their lives. This mindset provides motivation and purpose in organizing and decluttering one’s living space.”)
- Taking responsibility for your impact on the people around you. (“By decluttering your home and removing unnecessary belongings, you make their lives easier as they have fewer items to sort through, . . . [which] alleviates emotional distress during an already challenging time.”)
- Fostering mindful connections with objects (“Instead of blindly clinging to objects for sentimental reasons or out of habit, this practice asks people to consider whether their belongings still serve a purpose or bring joy.”)
- Prioritizing quality over quantity. (“Mindful owners of well-made, durable objects usually feel more satisfied and fulfilled than those who own numerous, low-quality items.”) This guides acquisition of new items going forward–making things earn their place in your life and home.
- Simplifying life through decluttering.
- Encouraging generosity.
- Commemorating memories rather than holding on to items.
- Legacy and Remembrance: Swedish Death Cleaning incorporates the consideration of legacy and how what we leave behind can affect the memories we leave with our loved ones. The idea is to be very thoughtful and intentional about the items we choose to keep and the meaning they have, not just for us, but for those we leave behind.
For many women, Swedish Death Cleaning is not just about minimizing clutter but about curating a life’s collection that truly reflects their journey, values, and the love shared with family and friends. It’s an invitation to revisit memories, make peace with the past, and decide which items genuinely add value to their lives and should be passed on to the next generation.
Women often play a pivotal role in maintaining family narratives through physical items like photo albums, heirlooms, and personal mementos. Swedish Death Cleaning provides a structured way to decide which of these items hold genuine historical or emotional significance. This process allows women to share stories and meanings behind selected items with their family, ensuring that these narratives continue to live on.
Benefits of Swedish Death Cleaning
- Emotional Wellbeing: Decluttering can lead to a sense of peace and fulfillment, knowing that your affairs are in order. This is especially true as we get older, but these benefits are valuable to us at all ages and stages of life.
In her 2023 book, The Swedish Death Cleaning Bible, Linn Sjöberg describes how embracing Swedish Death Cleaning “unfolds a world where decluttering is not a chore, but a heartwarming process of liberation and discovering . . . a pathway to tranquility, simplicity, and an uncluttered life filled with joy and serenity.”
Creating a more orderly and serene environment reduces stress and the emotional load of owning and caring for many possessions.
- Ease for Family Members: A major focus of Swedish Death Cleaning is the practical benefits for family members who will not be burdened with sorting through a lifetime of possessions.
In The Swedish Death Cleaning Bible, the author notes that “One of the key principles of Swedish Death Cleaning is coming to terms with one’s mortality while simultaneously reflecting on the value of personal belongings. By acknowledging that no one lives forever, we can begin to minimize the clutter surrounding us, which ultimately helps our loved ones manage our remains without feeling overwhelmed.”
- Environmental Consideration: Being more mindful about both what we keep and what we thereafter acquire is not only good for us and our loved ones, but also for the environment, as we have the opportunity to donate and recycle items, reducing waste and benefiting the community.
- A considerate approach to decluttering. This method encourages women to take a considerate approach to decluttering, one that respects the emotional and practical implications of downsizing one’s possessions. By choosing what to keep, what to give away, and what to dispose of, women can make thoughtful decisions that reflect their concern for the environment, the well-being of their family, and the legacy they wish to leave.
Practical Steps to Begin
Start early: Magnusson suggests 65 is a good age to start death cleaning, but there are benefits to starting sooner. Not only can you enjoy the benefits of a decluttered space, we frankly none of us know what day will be our last. As I was preparing for this episode, I thought about a beloved aunt and uncle who died unexpectedly in an auto accident, well before they were 65. They left behind a home and a business place stuffed full of belongings. They had no children, and it fell to my mother–the relative who lived closest to them–to get their belongings sorted and disposed of, and I vividly remember the difficulty she experienced in doing that while grieving the sudden loss of a brother and sister-in-law she was very close to.
Start Small: In her book, Magnusson recommends starting with items that are easier to part with (that is, that don’t have sentimental value) and gradually moving toward more challenging categories. She suggests starting with clothing and items that take up a lot of space, like furniture, tools, and so on, and saving photos, letters, and similar sentimental items for last. Start with one room or area of your home. Magnusson suggests the attic or basement or the closet/cupboard by your front door, as you’re likely to find items that you can easily donate or discard because they’ve been there for long periods of time without you needing or using them. Examples might include items like broken holiday decor, children’s toys (if you kids are grown and gone)
Unlike some methods, like (for example) the Kon Mari method, Swedish Death Cleaning is an incremental process. Magnusson encourages us to take our time.
Handling Sentimental Items:
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- The advantage of this process is that you can take your time and think about the items you’re going through. Unlike other methods, which might focus on utility or whether an item sparks joy, in Swedish Death Cleaning you’re encouraged to think about the meaning each item has for you, the story it tells about you or your life or the people in your life, and whether the item will have the same meaning for someone else. Magnusson suggests in her book to have a box labeled “to throw away” that contains items that are meaningful to you–so you want to keep them to look at from time to time–but not to anyone else, so they are to be discarded upon your death.
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- Some articles suggest the idea of using red and green sticky dots for boxes and big items: red means get rid of it, green means keep. This could be especially useful if you’re engaging in the purging process in preparation for moving and you will have helpers, paid or volunteer, loading and transporting things.
A Systematic Approach: Swedish Death Cleaning is a methodical approach, going room by room, with a focus on keeping what adds value and joy to life, whether because of its usefulness, its beauty, or its meaning (the story it tells).
Questions to ask yourself: What possessions truly add value to my life? How do I want to be remembered by my loved ones?
In The Swedish Death Cleaning Bible, the author suggests others;
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- Do I need this?
- Have I used it recently?
- Will it bring joy to someone else?
- Is it time to let it go?
- Great question: Will anyone be happier if I save this?
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Sort items in each room into three categories: Give Away, Throw Away, Keep. Get rid of the first two categories as quickly as you can.
Document and Share:
Make an inventory of items with special meaning or significant value to share with family, including stories and instructions. Take the time to document the stories behind important items, sharing these narratives with family members. This can be a meaningful way to pass on family history and values.
Consider gifting items to family and friends not just as a way to declutter but as a means of sharing joy and memories. If you have certain people in mind to receive certain possessions when you’re gone, label them, or perhaps give those items to those people now. Let your family and close friends know what you’re doing. They might want to help.
Implementing Swedish Death Cleaning in Daily Life
Regular Practice: Those who’ve written about Swedish Death Cleaning emphasize the importance of making decluttering a regular part of life, rather than a one-time event. Incorporate decluttering as a regular part of life, reflecting on possessions and their significance continually. This ongoing process can be empowering, allowing for constant adaptation to life’s changes.
Mindful Acquisitions: They also encourage thoughtful consideration before acquiring new items, to prevent clutter from accumulating again.
Communicating with Loved Ones: Finally, they write about the importance of open communication with family members about the process and decisions being made.
Additional Resources
I recommend books, websites, and other resources for further exploration of the topic, including The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson, and The Swedish Death Cleaning Bible, by Linn Sjoberg. Links to these books, plus a number of articles on the reason and process for Swedish Death Cleaning, appear below.
Closing thoughts
Swedish Death Cleaning offers a way to approach decluttering from a holistic and thoughtful perspective, focusing not just on the physical act of cleaning out possessions but also on the emotional and relational aspects of what we leave behind. As you consider the questions we talked about before (“What possessions add value to my life?” and “How do I want to be remembered by my loved ones?” “Will anyone be happier if I save this?”), think about what small step you can take this week toward purging your possessions and decluttering your space, and what benefits you might hope to gain from doing so.
What do you think?
What do you think about the concept of Swedish death cleaning? How might you implement it in your life? Post your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or email me.
Resources and Links
- TPW231 – Lagom (Just Enough), with Jane Andersson
- Swedish Death Cleaning Checklist: Method & Steps
- Swedish Death Cleaning method: The gentle art of decluttering explained – Reviewed
- Everything You Need To Know About Swedish Death Cleaning
- Introduction to Swedish Death Cleaning – Organize, Declutter, and Launch your Professional Organizing Business
- 7 Steps to Declutter with Swedish Death Cleaning | Dumpsters.com
- 10 Things That Changed From Swedish Death Cleaning – YouTube
- Swedish Death Cleaning: a beginner’s guide | Real Homes
- This Is What Swedish Death Cleaning Taught Me About Life
- What Is Swedish Death Cleaning? The Trending Organization Method Isn’t as Morbid as It Sounds
- Swedish Death Cleaning Checklist: 7 Steps and How It Works – NerdWallet
- The Missing Swedish Death Cleaning Checklist – Step-by-Step
- 11 Things You Should Know About Swedish Death Cleaning
- The Gift of Swedish Death Cleaning – The Holderness Family
- Swedish Death Cleaning Checklist
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Intrigued to read this. It may be more of an inspiration then just scrolling through the drop down arrows.
Perhaps because of the title.
I’ve tackled decluttering and moving too many times to count but this helps put a different perspective on the importance of downsizing.
I’ve been married since 1984, and do have a rather large family and really am considering the what ifs. I totally makes sense to down size in a more timely manner. I will be 60 in October, and can see by starting earlier rather than later what a difference it will make on my family, I really dont want to burden anyone.
Just a note: my mother passed at the age of 37. I only 18 with a new baby, only born 2 weeks prior to her passing. I lived with my mother and my little sister who was 8 years old. My brother who was 16 lived with my dad. My step dad had his issues dealing with life and was not around. When my mom past we lived a thousand miles from any real family and a house full of every thing. Truly very neatly organized. But still I felt overwhelmed. Everything seemed sentimental afterwards. When my mom became sicker and me closer to my due date I called her mom. My grandmother was a busy business woman with priorities of her own and my mom really didn’t want to burden her or any family.
But I was scared and so I made the phone call.
My grandmother dropped everything and drove 18 hours straight to us and then stayed until my mother past away helping with her care.
Only days before my grandmother called my mom’s siblings and her dad too, to let them know she didn’t have much longer to live.
They all arrived at the hospital and shortly after came asking me what my plans were. I had no idea.
Everything happened so fast not really thinking or understanding what was happening. My moms family packed up our intire house in just a few hours and loaded a 26 foot uhaul and drove it away. I was there left with a empty house a little sister, a new born baby, a hospital bed in the living room, my mom’s rocking chair and only a few things of my little sisters and a couple duffle bags, a diaper bag, bassinet and car seat. They assumed I’d drive down to where they all lived.
A day later my mom wanted to go home she said she didn’t want to die in the hospital, and I had to tell her everything was gone from our home and so she had to stay. It wasn’t an easy time.
2 days after that she died.
I did pick out her casket by my self and made arrangements for her body to fly south, because thats what her family wanted and I
took care of all of the other arrangements.
Not even a month later I did get another 26 foot uhaul and packed up everything that was put in a storage and drove it back up north dropping off only a few things of my mother’s to her sister, like all of her clothes and shoes.
But down sizing now makes so much sence, in which it did not then.
Over our life times we accumulate so so much.
And yes everything has memories. I wanted to hold on to everything that reminded me of my mom.
I just recently lost everything in a fire and some of the treasured possessions that I still had hels onto from those days past. Trunks full of what I think the most important of all. Pictures and a few sentimental trinkets.
The sewing machine she sewed on and the China we ate on during the holidays.
But now everything is gone.
We don’t take anything with us when we leave. But what we leave behind holds fast to the strings of our hearts.
A week ago my grandpa on my dad’s side past he was 99 years young.
It’s been heart wrenching 💔
My dad is downsizing now. Grandma past in 2018 she was 96 of Swedish decent and royal blood lines.
They’ had their same home from the 50s.
Organized in a meticulous fashion but still my dad says it will take a couple of months to sort through. But he asked me the other day if I’d like anything?
I couldn’t respond and changed the subject.
I’ve thought about now for a few days and I suppose it would depend on what it was but still knowing how more importantly it is to have less rather than more.
Thank you Laura, I enjoyed this… reflecting on life and cleaning.
Many blessings 🙌
Intrigued to read this. It may be more of an inspiration then just scrolling through the drop down arrows.
Perhaps because of the title.
I’ve tackled decluttering and moving to many times to count but this help put a different perspective on the importance of downsizing.
I’ve been married since 1984, and do have a rather large family and really am considering the what ifs. I totally makes sense to do this in a more timely manner. I will be 60 in October, and can see by starting earlier rather than later.
Just a note : my mother passed at the age of 37. I only 18 with new born baby only 2 weeks prior to her passing. I lived with my mother and my little sister who was 8 years old. My brother who was 16 lived with my dad. My step dad had been had his issues dealing with life and was not around. When my passed we lived a thousand miles from any real family and full of every thing. Truly very neat organized. But still I felt overwhelmed. Everything seemed sentimental. When my mom became sicker and me closer to my due date I called her mom. My grandmother was a busy business woman with priorities of her own and my mom really didn’t want to burden her or any family.
But I was scared and so I made the phone call.
My grandmother dropped everything and drove 18 hours straight to us amd then stayed until my mother past away helping with her care.
Only days before my grandmother called my mom’s siblings and grandfather too, to let them know she didn’t have much longer to live.
They all arrived at the hospital and then I was asked what my plans were. I had no idea. Everything happened so fast not really thinking or understanding what was happening. My moms family packed up the intire house in just a few hours and a 26 foot uhaul and drove it away. I was there left with a empty house with a hospital bed in the living room my mom’s rocking chair and only a few things of my little sisters and a couple duffle bags a diaper bag, a bassinet and car seat for my new born. They assumed I’d drive down to where they all lived.
A day later my mom wanted to go home she didn’t want to die in the hospital, and I had to tell her everything was gone she had to stay. It wasn’t an easy time.
2 days after that she was gone.
I did pick out her casket by my self and made arrangements for her body to fly south and took care of all of the other arrangements.
Not even a month later I did get another 26 foot uhaul and packed up everything that was put in a storage and drove it back up north dropping off only a few things of my mother’s to her sister, like all of her clothes and shoes.
But down sizing now makes so much sence.
Over our life times we accumulate so so much.
And yes everything has memories. I wanted to hold on to everything that reminded me of my mom.
I just recently lost everything in a fire and some of the treasured possessions that I still had from those days past the trunks full of what I think the most important of all. The pictures and a few sentimental trinkets.
The sewing machine she sewed on and the China we ate on during the holidays.
But now everything is gone. We don’t take anything with us when we leave. But what we leave behind holds fast to the strings of our hearts.
A week ago my grandpa on my dad’s side past he was 99 years young.
It’s been heart wrenching 💔
My dad is downsizing now. Grandma past in 2018 she was 96 of Swedish royalty blood.
They’ve had their same home from the 50s.
Organized in a meticulous fashion but still my dad says it will take a couple of months to sort through. But he asked me the other day if I’d like anything?
I couldn’t respond.
Thank you Laura, I enjoyed this… reflecting on life and cleaning.
Many blessings 🙌
This is amazing but I know I will need a “ buddy “ to help me and unfortunately do not have that .