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Ah, the Scandinavians, with their appetites for minimalism and dark cinema. If you haven’t heard of Swedish death cleaning yet, then no, it’s not something grim and ritualistic you’re about to see on the big screen: It’s just another way of mindfully de-cluttering your house.
The core concept of Swedish death cleaning is: don’t leave a mess for your friends and family to clean up. Do it now, yourself.
Though admittedly slightly morbid, it’s also actually pretty thoughtful. Not to mention, a very good incentive to throw out anything you’d be embarrassed for other people to know that you own.
(Insert immediate cringing reflection on your home and belongings here. Yes, those ones.)
Usually, it’s those who are older or who have terminal illnesses who decide to embark on death cleaning, in a bid to unburden their loved ones. But because it’s a simple concept, anyone can do it.
So how exactly do you orchestrate a cleanup process you were never really meant to be part of?
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Do you love it? Can you fit it? Does it suit you? Do you even wear it any more? These are all things to consider in the process.
Dumpsters.com recommends that a Swedish death cleaning checklist should involve the following steps.
Let your loved ones know
Giving your family and friends the heads-up can help to keep yourself accountable, while also lessening the confusion (and potentially even shock), that you are seriously decluttering whilst contemplating your own mortality.
Reassure them of your wellbeing and reasons for doing a clean-out, and ask for their help in advance for any specifics tasks such as moving furniture or making op shop deliveries.
If anyone sticks their hand up for a particular item you’re getting rid of now (or plan to get rid of later), make a note of it.
STUFF
Dozens of the best-ever cleaning hacks have been sent in by Stuff readers, and many of them have one thing in common.
Start with less personal items
Go easy on yourself because decluttering as if you were dying is undoubtedly going to feel a bit weird.
The closet can be an easy place to start and you can make it fun by going through your wardrobe with a friend over a cup of tea or a glass of wine and treating it like a What Not to Wear-style fashion show meets spring cleaning session.
While it’s important to keep only what you need and feel closely attached to, a friend can also help to give an objective perspective over items you’re not sure about.
Gift possessions away gradually
The poet Kahlil Gibran once wisely said: “Give now and let the season of giving be yours and not your inheritors’.”
That doesn’t mean you need to give all your worldly goods away at once. Think about what the people close to you have admired at your home and what they need.
Has one of your friends always waxed lyrical about a particular cushion on your couch? Could one of your kids do with a set of wineglasses at their place that you now hardly ever use? Next time they come around to visit, surprise them with a gift to take home.
People will likely be touched that you thought of them. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Roman Kraft/Unsplash
Stash mementos that you want to keep in a special place, and if they contain family heritage items, make sure to tell family members where they are.
Keep mementos for yourself
Sorting through a lifetime of collected things is going to bring up a lot of memories. Some objects and curios will hold genuine meaning, while others are maybe just sentimental and when you really quiz yourself, the memories alone are enough.
It’s perfectly fine to keep old love letters and the like, but perhaps considering re-filing such items into a bag or box marked “please throw away”, so that they are easily sorted for times to come.
Donate and sell the rest
It can be easy to re-neg on decluttering, so make sure to get the unwanted items out of your house ASAP.
Sarah Brown/Unsplash
Sort clothes into piles for selling, donating, gifting, and keeping.
Consider where your items may do the most good to others. The SPCA and animal shelters are always happy to receive clean towels and blankets; office-worthy attire goes to a good home via Dress for Success; and there are many other op shops such as those run The Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and various hospices who would be grateful to receive donations of clean, unbroken items.
Make a list of important documents and passwords
In this digital day and age, gathering a list of passwords and financial documents for your family is of the utmost importance.
An option for this once collected is to share a list with your lawyer to sit alongside your will.
Andrew Neel/Unsplash
Making a list of your passwords and gathering your important documents together is an activity that will benefit both you, and anyone who’s assisting with your estate one day.
Allow yourself time to feel and reflect
As you go through the process, make sure to give yourself time to reap the benefits of this process – and that’s to really reflect, feel and let go.
Be happy, be sad, feel however you need to, and consider the wonderful life that you’ve had. You may want to reach out to friends and family throughout the process to share your feelings.
Continue to declutter regularly
Swedish death cleaning is not just an end-of-life event but a lifestyle. By committing to decluttering in this way, you can stay true to what’s really important to you, leave a more organised home for the day you don’t need it any more, and embrace death in the heart of life.
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