In 2018 Swedish artist Margareta Magnusson published her book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. In her book she describes the Swedish culture of decluttering called döstädning. dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning”.

Swedish death cleaning involves taking stock of all your possessions, deciding what to keep and what to discard, and organizing everything so that after you are gone family members have an easier job. The goal is to make sure that your possessions are of value to loved ones after your death, and that your family is spared the daunting task of dealing with a lifetime of accumulated possessions when you pass away.

Döstädning can have a positive impact on mental health and overall well-being. It can help reduce stress and anxiety by creating a sense of order and control. It can bring a sense of peace of mind knowing that your belongings are being taken care of. Margareta Magnusson believes that the process brings a sense of freedom and joy by shedding unnecessary possessions and focusing on what truly matters in life. Living smaller can be a relief.

Since the 1950’s we have been bombarded by effective marketing and advertising. Increasing affluence and free time has resulted in a culture of consumerism. Few of us have avoided keeping unnecessary and unneeded items.

A visible example of this is the proliferation of self-storage units throughout the United States. There are over 60,000 self-storage facilities in the United States that generate over $39.5 billion of revenue. Average occupancy is 92%, and 9.5% of households are renting a self-storage unit. In fact, there are more self-storage facilities in the U.S. than fast food restaurants! 

My wife and I learned about the enormous work required and the stress involved when a parent dies without reducing clutter. From our experience we are actively starting our döstädning.

How To Get Started with Döstädning

Getting started with döstädning can seem daunting, here are some simple steps you can take:

1. Begin slowly.
2. Start by taking an inventory of all your possessions and deciding which items you want to keep and which ones you want to discard or donate. You want to review all possessions and decide what is going to happen to them. Here is a good list of categories to consider:
   1. Gift
   1. Recycle
   1. Keep
   1. Donate
   1. Trash
3. Start when you are young- while you still have mental and physical energy for the tasks.
4. Organize your items you are keeping into categories such as sentimental items, financial documents, clothing, etc., so that they are easy for family members to access.
5. Make sure important documents such as wills, insurance policies, etc., are up-to-date and easily accessible for family members in case something happens unexpectedly.
6. Keep a notebook of all logins and passwords for your family.
7. Start with areas such as the attic, garage, or a storage unit first. (These areas have frequently been ignored for months and many items there can mostly be discarded)
8. Save photographs and letters for last. These items will often send you down a memory hole and prevent progress.
9. Make Swedish death cleaning a way of life. (Don’t wait until you are old to begin.)

Take time each day or week to continue decluttering until you have finished going through all your possessions.

You may also want to help your parents with their döstädning. Here are a couple of questions to breach the subject with them.

1. “You have many nice things, have you thought about what you want to do with it later on?”
2. “Do you enjoy having all of this stuff?”
3. “Could life be easier and less tiring if we got rid of this stuff that you have collected over the years?”
4. “Is there anything we can do together in a slow way so there won’t be too many things to handle later?”

Consider being proactive about downsizing and reducing clutter now. It will free up your home spaces and reduce stress. It is an enormous gift to your loved ones to take care of this before your death. I hope you will embrace Döstädning.

Ralph Broadwater, M.D., CFP®

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