“Death cleaning” in Swedish - dark humor or a good way to declutter?

The “death cleaning” method has a scary name, but is not directly related to the end of life. It just helps you take a critical look at the things that have accumulated in your apartment and decide whether they are really needed or can be gotten rid of. Simply put, you should put yourself in the shoes of the relatives of the deceased and sort out all the trash the way they would do it.

This method, popular in Sweden, came to us not so long ago, but has already gained popularity. The author, artist Margareta Magnussen, who even published a book-guide on “death cleaning,” recommends her development to everyone over 50 years old: in half a century, such people have managed to assemble a collection of hundreds of useless items.

For cleaning to be successful, you should follow a set of rules.

Do not hurry

“Before-death cleaning” has nothing in common with general cleaning - it does not have to be done over a period of several hours or days. You can sort things out little by little, spending no more than 10 minutes a day. Then the whole process will take about a year, but it will not cause inconvenience to the person and those who live in the same apartment with him.

Tell your friends and relatives

By informing your close circle, you will achieve a double effect:

• Firstly, people will stop giving gifts that have no practical use, which means the amount of junk will not increase.
• Secondly, it will be easier for relatives and friends to understand what is happening before their eyes. If we are talking about the cohabitants of the person who started such cleaning (for example, children or a significant other), they will be able to provide all possible assistance in decluttering the common home.

Start cleaning by getting rid of your least valuable items.

This does not mean material values, but objects dear to the heart, such as letters from grandfather from the front, photographs of parents, and memorial postcards. What warms the soul and takes up little space, and also tells about the history of the family, is worth preserving.

But in the closet with clothes there will definitely be more than a dozen old-fashioned dresses, coats, suits, shirts and blouses - they will probably never be used for their intended purpose. The same applies to things of inappropriate size - everything that has become small or large must leave the closet forever.

Don't throw away things that may be useful to other people

It makes sense to send only those items to the trash bin that cannot find new owners. Things that are unnecessary in the household can serve other people well - they can be easily found by posting ads on a local forum or on a bulletin board like Avito. It is also worth inviting your neighbors to choose what they like. Antique items can be sold at auction or offered to themed store owners.

If there is no desire or opportunity to distribute things, charity is the way out - various foundations constantly collect clothes, dishes, furniture and other household items to later give them to those in need.

Avoid unnecessary gifts and spontaneous purchases

During the “Swedish death cleaning”, you should not only remove from the house everything that is of no value and has no practical use, but also prevent the addition of useless things to the list. You shouldn’t buy cute but useless gizmos and items that duplicate what you already have. For example, before ordering a new sofa, you need to give away or sell the old one.

Do not stop

Sooner or later it will seem that the bulk of the work is done and you can afford a break. This is a deceptive opinion - a stop will inevitably provoke a surge in money-grubbing, and the house will return to its previous state in a short time. You are allowed to stop only when the last unnecessary item is outside the threshold of your home. Until then, a person will develop the habit of minimalism and stop being dependent on things.

After the “death cleaning”, it not only becomes easier to breathe in the house, but peace also appears in the soul, as if all the problems had simultaneously disappeared into oblivion.