Apparently, you can clean your way to happiness . The obsession with minimalism is the latest self-help trend to grab the first world’s attention.
Decluttering has become big business with Marie Kando’s ever-popular life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering leading the pack.
That was, until now.
Swedish Death Cleaning is the newest decluttering trend out the gates, and it could be the most practical, (though existential-crisis- evoking) method yet.
While it’s not as brutal as the name may have you believe, it is a somewhat morbid way of looking at your belongings and your life.
A book called The Gentle Art of Swedish cleaning – how to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter , author Margareta Magnusson shares a new motivation for decluttering: your loved ones. You get rid of your hoarded belongings, so your family don’t have to deal with all them once you’re gone.
It’s a concept that the Swedish even have a word for, Döstädning which means ‘death cleaning’.
In the book, Margareta Magnusson speaks to the moment she realised the power of death cleaning. Referring to herself as aged somewhere between 80-100 and left having to downsize her home alone after her husband died, Margareta asked herself questions like, “How do you deal with your secrets? Tackle photographs and letters? Avoid heirs fighting over your belongings after you are gone?”
It’s about more than just decluttering physical objects; it’s about a holistic peace of mind that only Döstädning can bring about and highlighting the importance of living.
“Living smaller is a relief,” the author explains.
“I know many people who can sit in a messy home and look as if they are happy and in harmony. To me they seem almost comical. I don’t understand them.”
While you might not have to start physically death cleaning at 40, it’s never too early to think about and it’s a good conversation to have with elderly loved ones.
