Swedish Death Cleaning Is the Secret to an Organized Home—Here’s How to Do It

It’s not as scary as it sounds.

By 

Sally Jones

Published on October 8, 2024

n This Article

• Origins
• Method
• 3 Easy Steps
• Sustainability
• Letting Go

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Despite what you may have heard, Swedish death cleaning is not an organizational method, per se—although it will certainly get your home in shape.

You can instead think of it as getting an early start on your estate planning. “Death cleaning involves removing the items you no longer need or want from your home while you can, so that your loved ones are spared the task of dealing with your stuff when you are gone,” explains Sarah Giller Nelson, organizing expert and founder at Less is More Organizing Services.

Nelson says to focus on the generosity and thoughtfulness of the process. In Swedish death cleaning, you’re deciding how you want to dispose of all your material possessions when you die—a potentially dark process. But it’s more of a way to reflect on your life through the material possessions you’ve accumulated.

“Choosing what happens to everything you own unburdens your loved ones,” adds Nelson, “while giving you the opportunity to meaningfully gift your most significant things to those who you feel will appreciate them.”

• Sarah Giller Nelson, organizing expert and founder at Less is More Organizing Services
• Heather Aiello, CEO and founder at The Organized You
• Leora Seltzer, organization expert and founder of What U Keep

What Makes Swedish Death Cleaning Unique

Swedish death cleaning employs aspects of typical organizing in that it requires sorting, categorizing, and getting rid of things. The groupings will likely be familiar to you: keep, donate, throw away, and give away.

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But with Swedish death cleaning, the difference is that you’re not downsizing just to keep a tidier house. Your motivation is more altruistic: unburdening your family and gifting your belongings personally. And the pace is therefore less hurried and more reflective—even enjoyable.

“I describe this as decluttering your belongings while you are alive, instead of leaving the task to family members when you pass,” says Heather Aiello, CEO and founder at The Organized You. “This will allow you to go through your items thoughtfully rather than rushing to make quick decisions.”

Throughout the process, you’ll also be able to leave the items that truly matter to you to your loved ones after you pass, explains Aiello. The goal here is to take away the stress of having to go through your belongings and deciding who might want them. “There is joy to be found in reminiscing about your past and then envisioning who might appreciate your most special things as much as you do,” says Nelson.

The Origins of Swedish Death Cleaning

In Swedish, döstädning translates literally to “death cleaning.” But despite the grim moniker, downsizing in this way can be uplifting. “You don’t have to think about dying when going through this process,” says Leora Seltzer, organization expert and founder of What U Keep.

Swedes are known for being direct and practical. So in Swedish culture, being organized, taking responsibility for your things, and not irritating others with your mess is baked into the DNA. It simply took the publication of the bestselling book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Swedish author Margareta Magnusson (Scribner, January 2018), to bring the concept to a global audience.

“When the book came out…it caused a bit of a sensation because the title is so provocative,” says Nelson. As its popularity grew through social media and television, the concept has resonated with many—especially those who’ve had the task of cleaning out the home of a deceased loved one while they were grieving. But despite all the flash, the practice itself remains simple, practical, and unhurried.

Seltzer says to ask yourself, “Which belongings will help me live my best life? What do I want in my life in this stage, and what am I ready to part with?”

“If you lead with those ideas in mind,” she says, “you will be able to part with whatever doesn’t support you.”

How to Do Swedish Death Cleaning

In the book, Magnusson—who describes herself as somewhere between the age of 80 and 100—says to begin Swedish death cleaning early. The perfect age for death cleaning, she suggests is in your sixties or seventies. “Sooner or later you will have your own infirmities,” Magnusson writes, “and then it is damn nice to enjoy the things you can still manage to do without the burden of too many things to look after and too many messes to organize.”

But Swedish death cleaning can be beneficial at any age, especially when you’ve reached the point where you have everything you need and are no longer accumulating.

The key is to start out small and take your time. Allow for reminiscing, sharing stories, and letting go. “You need to give yourself grace and move at your own pace,” says Seltzer. “If you have to move faster than your are comfortable with, such as if you have a deadline, hire a professional to help.”

You may also benefit from professional help if you’ve previously lost a loved one. If your home is especially big, or if you’ve previously started and were left feeling stuck, you might also want to consider help.

“The scale of these types of projects is what holds people back,” says Aiello. “The thought of going through everything is an overwhelming and daunting task, so I always suggest breaking it up into small manageable projects.”

3 Easy Steps to Swedish Death Cleaning

1. Experts say that the best way to begin is to start small. Choose a manageable space, such as a closet. A basement, attic, or storage area can also be a good starting point, as they usually contain things we haven’t used in a while.
2. Sort things into the following collections: keep, donate, discard, and give away. Magnussan, who owned a large home, collected each category of items in a different room, making it easy for her to invite friends and family over to choose items from the giveaway room. You can just as easily begin by collecting groups of items in boxes or bins.
3. Take the time to ask yourself the following questions: When is the last time I used this? Do I need it now? Will I miss it if it’s gone?

Sustainability and Swedish Death Cleaning

If you’re left feeling stuck during the Swedish death cleaning process, it can help to think of all the good that you are doing when you donate items or give them away. Contributing to the cycle of reuse is respectful of the items and our planet. When products have a longer life, it means fewer new products need to be manufactured and fewer go to landfills. This reduces manufacturing costs as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

Think too of the people who will come across your objects in a thrift store and smile. Someone will have found a bargain they will cherish, and that object that was a part of you for so long will live on.

Remember: Letting Go Is The Hardest Part

It is going to be hard to part with some things, even if they no longer serve a purpose. “One of the ways that we tell the story of our lives or define ourselves is through our possessions,” says Nelson. “People in their sixties or seventies have spent decades accumulating experiences and memories. Often, items purchased on a trip or worn to an important occasion trigger those memories and become a stand-in for those experiences.”

Since belongings spark memories and memories surface emotions, it’s the emotional attachment that makes letting go of some things harder than others. Experts recommend starting with the easiest things first. “Though they are both equally useful, you are less emotionally attached to your extension cords than the scarf given to you by your favorite aunt,” says Nelson.

Save photos for last—they are likely to evoke the most memories. When you do sort through photographs, consider creating a digital archive of the ones that mean the most to you. Scan important photographs and documents to preserve the memories without the physical clutter.