OF THE SWEDISH KIND
Sounds morbid, I know. The first time I heard the term Swedish Death Cleaning, I immediately pictured a punk rock band. But, I had come across the term when I was doing a search on decluttering topics so I thought maybe the internet algorithms were trying to fool me. It wouldn’t be the first time I was surprised and befuddled by a random internet search! Turns out, Swedish Death Cleaning is a term coined by Margareta Magnussen in her 2018 book titled, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter” published in 2017. The term can be translated from the Swedish word döstädning. The theory behind the term is a process of decluttering and paring down your possessions in order to alleviate your loved one’s stresses after you die as they sort through the items you have left behind.
THE FROG STORY
I think many of us can relate, either through personal experience, or from stories shared by friends of sorting through a loved ones belongings after they have passed. Losing a loved one and grieving is difficult as it is, sorting through their belongings can be even harder. Not only is it physically draining but it’s also mentally exhausting as you try to declutter and place value, either perceived or tangible, upon the items you are sorting and handling. I mean, let’s face it, your grandmother’s collection of ceramic frogs (all 75 of them) might have brought her pleasure, but all you may see are a dust collection. Mixed emotions may begin as a wistful smile on your face as you remember how much she enjoyed looking at them and moving them about on the porch, placing some of them in the sun, dusting them dutifully day in and day out. The secondary emotional response might be one of dread as you try to counter the joy with the possible guilt of realizing you don’t want to keep those dang frogs.
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Now, take that frog scenario and multiply it by every item you see before you in your own home. The stuff and things we acquired which fill up corners, crevices, cabinets, and counters in our home can constantly multiply and grow in number if we don’t use some sort of system to filter things by removing them, decluttering them periodically. But, when taking Swedish Death Cleaning into consideration, the opportunity presents itself to take a different approach. To view decluttering in a way where you look at your items through the lens of others and, in doing so, removing some of the emotion and investment attachment we have to our ‘things’. I wrote recently about the Sunk Cost Theory on my blog last month, (https://simpleminimalmidlife.com/decluttering-the-sunk-cost-theory/), and how we hold onto items because it cost us something, we invested in it, and we placed more value on the item personally than someone else. Taking the perspective of Swedish Death Cleaning we can change the narrative and declutter with a clean and fresh viewpoint. Ask yourself these questions; “How would this person or that person view this item?” “Would they cherish it like I did or would they deem it as junk or invaluable and throw it away or donate it?” By answering these questions, we give ourselves the opportunity to move away from emotion and to decide which items are necessary and valuable enough to occupy space in our homes.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I went from apprehension to acceptance when I dug into the concept of Swedish Death Cleaning. The practice of decluttering asks us to take on a new viewpoint, it opens us up to removing our emotional attachment to our clutter, and to determine what might have value to others even if we’re not in our retirement years. Clutter does not have to own us nor do the habits that lead us down the road to clutter such as mindless shopping or holding onto something ‘just because I bought it’. Swedish Death Cleaning can assist anyone who is looking to own less, to obtain control of their clutter, and who is willing to view items through the lens of someone other than themselves.