Swedish Death Cleaning: The Hottest Decluttering Trend of 2018
You can't take it with you, so discover a way to declutter your life that will put you in seventh heaven
Janet Dunn
19 May 2018
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid interior design enthusiast. Ex-restaurateur and caterer, with a Professional Certificate in Gastronomy, University of Adelaide.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid... More
Over many long housebound winters, Scandinavians have come up with some wonderful words for lifestyle concepts. We’ve embraced warm-hearted hygge from Denmark and strive for design balance with Swedish lagom. Friluftsliv, the art of enjoying nature Norwegian-style, is gaining attention, and the hilarious Finnish concept of kalsarikännit, the act of drinking at home alone in your underwear, is having a well-deserved moment. Now Sweden brings us döstädning – the selfless art of decluttering your home to prepare for the inevitable and to respect those who come after you.
Decluttering comes of age
Since the word first appeared in Vogue in the 1950s, to its inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary’s new word list in 2015, the idea of decluttering for a better life has swept the globe. Now a sage Swedish grandmother shows us how it can also make our departure from the world more orderly and meaningful, for both ourselves and our family and friends.
Since the word first appeared in Vogue in the 1950s, to its inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary’s new word list in 2015, the idea of decluttering for a better life has swept the globe. Now a sage Swedish grandmother shows us how it can also make our departure from the world more orderly and meaningful, for both ourselves and our family and friends.
Meet Margareta
Image: Scribe Publications
Margareta Magnusson, author of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, says she is “somewhere between 80 and 100”, making her well qualified to share her experience. The book is subtitled How to Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter, and Magnusson has pulled off the feat of making a book about dying whimsical and entertaining. With prosaic good humour, she sets out an approach to the ultimate declutter.
Image: Scribe Publications
Margareta Magnusson, author of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, says she is “somewhere between 80 and 100”, making her well qualified to share her experience. The book is subtitled How to Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter, and Magnusson has pulled off the feat of making a book about dying whimsical and entertaining. With prosaic good humour, she sets out an approach to the ultimate declutter.
Know the reasons
Magnusson stresses that döstädning has two motivations. “Don’t ever imagine that anyone will wish – or be able – to take care of what you didn’t bother to take care of yourself. No matter how much they love you, don’t leave this burden to them,” she writes. “I have death cleaned so many times for others, I’ll be damned if someone else has to death clean after me.”
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Magnusson stresses that döstädning has two motivations. “Don’t ever imagine that anyone will wish – or be able – to take care of what you didn’t bother to take care of yourself. No matter how much they love you, don’t leave this burden to them,” she writes. “I have death cleaned so many times for others, I’ll be damned if someone else has to death clean after me.”
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Secondly, don’t forget you are also doing this for yourself. Many benefits flow from death cleaning, including enjoying an organised, safe and low-maintenance home while you are still very much alive. Finding meaning and memory in the accumulations of your life is a vital part of döstädning. “It’s a delight to go through things and remember their worth,” she says. “If you don’t remember why a thing has meaning or why you kept it, it has no worth, and it will be easier for you to part with it.”
Downsize with intent
The purpose of döstädning isn’t to discard things that make life pleasant and more comfortable. Downsizing is prevalent among baby boomers and retirees, but shrinking your belongings for a smaller home can be a messy and upsetting experience if poorly planned. Magnusson doesn’t suggest you live out your days in uninspiring spaces devoid of warmth and life memories, but rather that you take time to decide what is vital for comfort and pleasure, and what is merely excess.
The purpose of döstädning isn’t to discard things that make life pleasant and more comfortable. Downsizing is prevalent among baby boomers and retirees, but shrinking your belongings for a smaller home can be a messy and upsetting experience if poorly planned. Magnusson doesn’t suggest you live out your days in uninspiring spaces devoid of warmth and life memories, but rather that you take time to decide what is vital for comfort and pleasure, and what is merely excess.
Remember that things with sentimental value to you may not mean much to others. Sentimental value can take up a lot of room, so take time to relive the memories in your mind and think about where these items could go to create nice memories for someone else. Magnusson, with her usual prosaic attitude, states that after a lifetime of amassing ‘stuff’ and divesting yourself of it in an organised way, “living small is a relief”.
Death clean together
Make sure your family and friends know why you are doing this. Discuss your wishes and offers with potential recipients – this will ensure they are not merely accepting unwanted gifts out of politeness. Encourage a spirit of frankness and caring when you involve your loved ones in helping you with this important project.
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Make sure your family and friends know why you are doing this. Discuss your wishes and offers with potential recipients – this will ensure they are not merely accepting unwanted gifts out of politeness. Encourage a spirit of frankness and caring when you involve your loved ones in helping you with this important project.
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Take your time
Once you have decided to death clean your home, don’t charge headlong into it. See it as a necessary labour of love to be done thoughtfully, one that will have moments of sadness and moments of pure joy. Divide your belongings into categories and start with one you feel is easy to handle – it could be books, linen, cleaning items or outdoor equipment.
Magnusson picks clothes and categorises them further: too large, too small, suitable for occasions you no longer attend and impulse buys – these have no place in your life. “All garments in a wardrobe should look good together and you should be able to mix them with each other,” she says.
Once you have decided to death clean your home, don’t charge headlong into it. See it as a necessary labour of love to be done thoughtfully, one that will have moments of sadness and moments of pure joy. Divide your belongings into categories and start with one you feel is easy to handle – it could be books, linen, cleaning items or outdoor equipment.
Magnusson picks clothes and categorises them further: too large, too small, suitable for occasions you no longer attend and impulse buys – these have no place in your life. “All garments in a wardrobe should look good together and you should be able to mix them with each other,” she says.
Cull the kitchen
Most of us stockpile quantities of cookware and tableware over the years. Consider your storage space in a downsized home and the numbers you cook for now, says Magnusson. If you plan on entertaining, keep one set of cookware, dishes, cutlery and glasses that match the number of guests you can fit at your table.
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Most of us stockpile quantities of cookware and tableware over the years. Consider your storage space in a downsized home and the numbers you cook for now, says Magnusson. If you plan on entertaining, keep one set of cookware, dishes, cutlery and glasses that match the number of guests you can fit at your table.
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Leave the photographs, letters and memorabilia until last. Magnusson believes this is where you’ll spend the most time, reliving the past and getting distracted or even sad. With a twinkle in her eye, she advises ensuring that any evidence of dirty little secrets, such as empty gin bottles in the linen closet or a stash of adult toys, is removed so it doesn’t shock anyone after you’ve gone.
Prepare your pets
Magnusson saves a special chapter for pets. Anticipate that your pet may outlive you and make arrangements for its care. Knowing your pet won’t end up in a shelter unclaimed and possibly euthanised will put your mind at ease. If you can’t live without an animal companion, get one as old and tired as you are, she advises.
Magnusson saves a special chapter for pets. Anticipate that your pet may outlive you and make arrangements for its care. Knowing your pet won’t end up in a shelter unclaimed and possibly euthanised will put your mind at ease. If you can’t live without an animal companion, get one as old and tired as you are, she advises.
Start early
Despite her optimistic outlook on life – and death – Magnusson despairs of what she calls “crazy consumption”. Curbing our rampant acquisition of objects throughout our lives means less need for massive death cleaning later in life. When it becomes necessary, being creative about reusing, mending, recycling, reselling, donating or gifting surplus items instead of dumping them is a bonus for our overloaded planet.
Despite her optimistic outlook on life – and death – Magnusson despairs of what she calls “crazy consumption”. Curbing our rampant acquisition of objects throughout our lives means less need for massive death cleaning later in life. When it becomes necessary, being creative about reusing, mending, recycling, reselling, donating or gifting surplus items instead of dumping them is a bonus for our overloaded planet.
Think ahead
Magnusson’s compact handbook is an easy read, thorough and down-to-earth but never morbid, sprinkled with quirky drawings and insights gained from a full and active life. If you aren’t ready to take döstädning seriously yourself, says Magnusson, consider bringing up the subject with your ageing parents – in a tactful and caring way. They may not warm to the idea straightaway, but may also be grateful for the encouragement and your loving help.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson, Scribe Publications, RRP $24.99.
Tell us
How do you feel about döstädning? Tell us in the Comments section below. And don’t forget to like this story, share it, and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Read more decluttering stories
Magnusson’s compact handbook is an easy read, thorough and down-to-earth but never morbid, sprinkled with quirky drawings and insights gained from a full and active life. If you aren’t ready to take döstädning seriously yourself, says Magnusson, consider bringing up the subject with your ageing parents – in a tactful and caring way. They may not warm to the idea straightaway, but may also be grateful for the encouragement and your loving help.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson, Scribe Publications, RRP $24.99.
Tell us
How do you feel about döstädning? Tell us in the Comments section below. And don’t forget to like this story, share it, and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Read more decluttering stories
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My Mum is 92 and is busy death cleaning. She is giving away things she no longer uses, but is useful to others. She recently invited her great granddaughter to come and choose glasses, crockery band cutlery as they had just bought their first house. She says she doesn't want us to have to deal with everything after she dies. I love helping her with this, as it helps her to share stories I have never heard before.
This is exactly what I was commenting about on another article on decluttering. I really do not want my kids to have to go through my stuff and suffer stress. I have looked at many of my items objectively and decided; my kids would have no idea what it was for, how it affected me, or how sentimental it was to ME. So off it goes. My adult children live a modern life, in 100 years I can not see their grandchildren asking about my stuff, coz I know I don't think of my ancestors 'stuff' .