What is Swedish death cleaning? It's not as morbid as it sounds
But what if you died tomorrow? Would your loved ones know where to start sorting out your belongings if you passed on unexpectedly?
Well, a concept known as Swedish Death Cleaning promises to show us all how to leave a tidy house and home, and save a lot of trouble for those we leave behind. Pic: Shutterstock
But what is it all about, and how do we learn how to do it?
The general rule of thumb is that people in their late middle age, and for now we are going to call this late 50s to 60s, need to start getting rid of all that stuff they are keeping for no good reason, except maybe sentimentality. And let's face it, the kids probably don't want your concert tickets from Slane 1986 or your old love letters (God forbid).
Time to open up the attic and get to work Pic: Shutterstock
Hire a skip and get ruthless with the crap that you have been storing for decades.
Margareta Magnusson, author of the book 'The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning' advises everyone to 'Visit your storage areas and start pulling out what's there, because who do you think will take care of all of that when you are no longer here?'
'Plus, you'll be able to better enjoy your life when you have less mess and clutter to deal with.'
In Swedish, the exercise is döstädning — a combination of the word 'dö' (which means death) and 'städning' (which means cleaning), she explains in the book. Pic: Shutterstock
'Death cleaning is not about dusting or mopping up, it is about a permanent form of organisation that makes your everyday life run more smoothly,' she explains.
And you may even find the process itself enjoyable, she adds. 'It is a delight to go through things and remember their worth'.
So do your kids a favour, get up into that attic, drag out the boxes of old love letters, ticket stubs, scrapbooks and memorabilia and get ruthless.
Your loved ones will thank you for it.
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