A Life Reinvigorated After Swedish Death Cleaning

Let Go Of Excess Stuff And Enjoy A Free, More Intentional Life

Swedish Death Cleaning sounds unpleasant, doesn’t it? When I first heard of it, I thought, nope, I’m not going there. But when I dug deeper, I realized it isn’t about death — it’s about life.

Swedish Death Cleaning, or döstädning, was coined by author Margareta Magnusson. Her book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, explains the process of thoughtfully decluttering your belongings to free yourself and your loved ones from the burden of having too much stuff.

It involves categorizing your possessions, deciding what to keep, donate, or discard, and organizing what remains in a meaningful and manageable way.

Is This Another Mode of Minimalism? 👩‍🏫

Despite its odd name, Swedish Death Cleaning is uplifting and forward-focused. Unlike popular decluttering methods that emphasize “sparking joy” or creating a tidy home, this philosophy is about legacy.

It invites you to reflect on what you want to carry into the next phase of your life. At the same time, it allows your loved ones to choose what they genuinely cherish and want to take into their own homes to share with their families.

After you’ve completed Swedish Death Cleaning, your newly streamlined home takes little time to keep clean, leaving you free to dash off and embrace new adventures. It offers freedom — a lighter, more intentional way to live in the years ahead.

Simplifying Life When The World Shut Down 💡

Before the pandemic, I stumbled across several YouTube videos introducing me to Swedish Death Cleaning.

It was an interesting concept, and yep, my home was cluttered, but I wasn’t ready for it.

Then came the shutdown. Uncertainty was all around. Suddenly, I had loads of time to think.

Walking my dog, I noticed neighbors tossing out piles of stuff — massive decluttering was happening everywhere!

What was that decluttering method I’d heard about on YouTube? Oh, yeah, Swedish Death Cleaning.

After reacquainting myself with the technique, I took a hard look at the overflowing corners of my home and had a realization.

Our culture is obsessed with having more, and sadly, much of our sense of self-worth stems from the number of odds and ends we’ve hoarded.

Possessions are great, but don’t experiences and time shared with others hold more value?

It’s not the doodads we’ve collected that will make us smile when our time on earth grows short. No, that smile will come from remembering moments with family and friends and our adventures throughout life.

Decluttering And Shoving Stuff Out the Door 🚪

For me, the perfect time to start Swedish Death Cleaning was clear: we were preparing to sell or renovate the home we’d owned for over 20 years.

Longing to lighten our load and go into the next season of life with less stuff to house and clean, I got busy.

As I delved into the dusty depths of our home, I unearthed heaps of things I’d long forgotten about.

It was a bittersweet journey down memory lane, filled with smiles and many “Oh, I remember this!” moments.

But it also made me wonder — was keeping these things actually selfish? If my kids chose to keep them, they might take them out and share them with their families more often than we ever could.

We realized that our hearts and minds were already full of memories that would sustain us in the coming years.

Letting go of these objects didn’t mean losing those memories — it meant sharing them with others.

Downsizing for Happiness 🌬️

Oh my, this felt good! Letting go brought an unexpected sense of freedom as if someone had lifted a weight off my shoulders.

Swedish Death Cleaning isn’t about losing your stuff. It’s about liberation and taking charge of your life and surroundings.

It’s a powerful tool that can free you from the burden of excess and give you a sense of control over your living space.

I’d kept so many things because they had been precious to someone else. I thought I had to keep them. They’d lain sadly, forgotten, tucked in closets, collecting dust.

These items could bring joy to someone else. It felt great to send them off to homes where they’d be loved and enjoyed again.

We Started Afresh 🌞

In the end, we sold our home and moved away. Downsizing so much made the move far easier than I’d expected.

For years, we had kept furniture we weren’t in love with, and we let that go, too. That decision was nerve-wracking, but we didn’t regret it.

We replaced soft furnishings with new ones. Everything else, well, we’ll be treasure hunting at Habitat for Humanity and the local thrift stores for those.

Sure, there’s a smidgen of fear in letting go of so much, but figuring out what we need in this new season of life is exciting.

The possessions that mattered most are still with us. The photos and precious mementos remain; we can fully enjoy and cherish them now. No longer are they jumbled up and covered with dust alongside other, less important things.

The items that mattered most to our kids are now in their care — safe and treasured, free of the guilt that they should take them. We’re feeling light and ready to create new memories that will sustain us in the future.

A Joyous Lack of Clutter ✨

It was tough when the world shut down, but it gave me the opportunity to give Swedish Death Cleaning a chance — and it was worth it.

If something made me feel guilty or had to be shuffled around constantly, it now lives elsewhere. Organization is the name of the game these days, and it’s great.

Swedish Death Cleaning isn’t just about letting go of things. It’s about making space for the life you want to live: more freedom, more time, and more joy.

What could you free yourself from today? Give it a try — you might just love it!

Originally Published on Substack