I tried Swedish Death Cleaning – and it changed how I declutter
As the resident household advice editor for GH, it’s fair to say I’ve tried my fair share of decluttering methods. I’ve used the ski slope method in my bedroom and have found solutions for the 6 things most likely to clutter up your home. But one famous method I had yet to try was Swedish Death Cleaning – until now.
My front room was littered with clutter, so it seemed like a good place to start. However, I never expected the method to have quite the impact it did and to clear so much. Here’s what happened when I tried Swedish Death Cleaning.
What is Swedish Death Cleaning?
Swedish Death Cleaning was introduced by Margareta Magnusson in her book: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. It sounds a little morbid, but the purpose is an important one. The idea is to remove the burden of decluttering for your loved ones after you’ve passed away, so you’re left only with the essentials and those items that have the most meaning.
While it was initially intended for those later in life, it can be relevant at any age when clutter has started to accumulate. It’s a mindset designed to help you consider the true worth of items as you sort through them.
Tidy tips
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How I found Swedish Death Cleaning
Clothes
Magnusson advises that you start with the bigger items and work your way down to the smaller ones, saving sentimental items for last. This will give you the best progress to begin with and motivates you to continue.
For me and my living room, that meant dealing with the items on the floor first, namely two large bin bags that were filled with clothes and tucked against a wall. These were left over from the last time I decluttered my wardrobe, but I never managed to sort through them! I quickly rifled through and arranged the items into what could be donated, sold or thrown away. This worked out well because clothes are one of the easiest of categories to sort through, according to Magnusson; easy items are those that are ‘extensive and without too much sentimental connection’.
Magnusson says you should let family and friends know what you’re doing, as they might want to help or could be interested in what you’re giving away. I don’t live near enough for such help unfortunately, but my niece and my partner’s little sister were indeed interested in a couple of the handbags I was getting rid of. All it took was a WhatsApp message to check. I held out little hope, but the excitement and eagerness I got in return took me by surprise and fuelled me to keep going. As for what remained in the bin bags, I moved these next to the kitchen door, so they couldn’t be missed in future; they were donated a few days later.
Books
I then moved on to the bookcase. This was partly because it was so overfilled that books had ended up stacked on the floor, and also because I assumed they wouldn’t have sentimental value. I only have two shelves dedicated to books, but I was shocked by how many I’d squeezed into this space. I was quick to sift through them, removing those I’d already read as well as those I likely never would. There were a lot of books we’d been given for birthdays and Christmases, which I felt guilty about pulling out, but I knew they’d never be used, so they had to go to a new home. Magnusson says, ‘I will never feel guilty about not keeping presents for ever. To be grateful and happy for a present when you first receive it is something different, because that gratitude is not connected to the thing itself but to the giver.’
I just imagined how much enjoyment someone else might get from these books, and it helped me forge ahead. In fact, I offered a couple of the books to family members I thought might take an interest: a 007 Bond car book to my dad and two sewing books to my partner’s mum. Again, they said they’d love them on their coffee table, and my efforts felt rewarded.
By the time I was finished, I’d removed a good stack of books. My partner then looked over what I’d picked out and wanted to save a few. I was, admittedly, a little frustrated by this, as it felt like taking two steps back, but it’s always important to check what’s being removed with others in the household – they’re his books, too, after all!
In total, I’d still managed to remove 24 books across two shelves, which made a huge difference to its appearance. Speaking of which, I’d taken the opportunity to organise them by type of book as well as height, so they looked much better on the shelf. Recipe books and hardbacks went on the bottom shelf, while paperbacks and notebooks were lined up above. My bookcase was transformed in about 30 minutes. While it still looked full, it wasn’t crowded and it no longer spilled out on to the floor. By considering how much the books really meant to me and what they might mean for others, I could work through them much faster.
At this stage, I took a break, as I’d been decluttering for an hour already. Swedish Death Cleaning is a long, ongoing process and you’re unlikely to tackle everything in one sitting, so it’s important to space out the tasks and to schedule time to return to it. Admittedly, I didn’t look forward to coming back to this, but I remembered to look at the bigger picture: the two bin bags were gone and the bookcase looked amazing already, so I was making progress.
Magazines and games
Next came the cabinet under the TV. To start with, it was quick and painless; there were a lot of old magazines here that could be removed and recycled. But I faltered when I reached theatre programmes from years past; we collected these with each show we saw. I flicked through them, but knew they’d distract me and I wanted to avoid ‘getting stuck down memory lane’, as Magnusson says. So I stopped and considered what they really meant to me. They made me feel happy on the whole and brought back a lot of memories. Considering Magnusson says you should keep what makes life ‘pleasant and comfortable’, I decided to keep them and stack them so they were more accessible. Now that we can better see them, we’re more likely to look at them again.
A stack of Nintendo Switch games had built up on top of the speakers next to the TV, too. The cartridges themselves were stored in the case for the console, so there was little point in hanging on to those cases unless I was planning to sell any in the future. These went on the recycling pile.
What not to do
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Greeting cards
After taking a break for a few days, I moved on to the final item: the cabinet behind the sofa. I knew this would be filled with all kinds of intricate bits and bobs, so I put it off. The first drawer I opened, I’m ashamed to say, was packed to the brim with greetings cards. After opening up a couple, I soon realised they would be emotional to sort through, so I moved on to the other doors and drawers to keep things simple for now.
Otherwise, this cabinet wasn’t so difficult to sort through. There were a couple of souvenirs from past holidays tucked away, as well as an old laptop with its charger and even a glass vase. I removed these and decided they either needed to find new homes or head for the recycling bin. Once everything was out, I created sections for different categories of items to reorganise them, including board games, Christmas presents (sometimes I buy these in advance if they’ll last) and stationery. I kept Christmas-related items close by, so I could easily find them when the time came, including ribbons, tape and batteries.
Once every other drawer was as neat as a pin, I had to face the drawer packed with greetings cards. I knew I’d want to look through each card and reflect, which I assumed would take up lots of time. While I did do this, I moved faster than I thought. Because I was in the right mindset, I scanned the front of the card and the message inside and could make a decision in a flash. Magnusson says, ‘The more time you spend going through your belongings, the easier it will be for you to decide what to keep and what not to.’ Only five cards remained in the end for me, all of which contained meaningful messages from loved ones. Some represented milestones, and for others there were photographs on the front that brought back memories. In any case, the drawer had next to nothing in it by the time I was finished, but everything was there for a reason.
Now that I’ve finished Swedish Death Cleaning this space, I just need to see through the final steps, making sure items get to their new homes, throwing away the stack that has accumulated next to the bin and selling what’s worth money. I also need to break the habit of storing every greeting card I ever receive!
Final thoughts
Overall, I think this is a great mindset to have as you declutter. It helps you to gain a practical perspective while still taking emotion into account. This ensures thorough results but without losing what has the most meaning. In short, I feel like my front room now reflects me better, with every item holding a story, or most items at least. I feel better for decluttering, too, like it was more rewarding than I’m used to.
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