Swedish Death Cleaning

 This is an interesting practice which will benefit many of us. The term Swedish Death Cleaning was coined by author Margareta Magnussen in her book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter” (2017).

She asks readers to consider their loved ones left behind after their demise. Your loved ones would have to sort through all your things which you’ve left behind and this will not be an easy task. She gives suggestions on how to make this process as easy as possible for them.

Swedish death cleaning, then, is organizing and decluttering before you die so that your loved ones will not be unduly burdened after your passing.

It’s also about making decisions: what to keep and what to let go. This not only refers to your physical possessions but also your digital assets. You need to make sure that login details for your online bank accounts, your important websites, etc. are made available for them.

You might want to declutter your computer or desktop apart from your wardrobe and bookshelves.

Paring down one’s possessions will make your home much neater and a better place to live in.

I will be doing this bit by bit from now on as so much stuff has been accumulated over the last seven decades of my life. I shudder to think of it but it has to be done, so that my loved ones left behind will not be frustrated by the amount of “rubbish” mummy/grandma has collected!!

It’s something for you to consider too. It’s never too early to begin!