Swedish Death Cleaning

An interesting take on minimalism

I have been a minimalist for most of my life, probably because I was something of a nomad, living, studying, and working in different countries and places. I also hate clutter.

I once shipped hundreds of books from Germany to the U.S. because I thought I needed all of them. Very few of those books are left. Most of them have gone to new homes.

A few years ago, when I became an empty-nester and retirement was on the horizon, I started cleaning out. Whatever I didn’t need or was attached to in some way was donated, recycled or pitched. This process is almost complete now.

The term “Swedish death cleaning,” that I came across in some YouTube videos on minimalism made sense to me right away. I remember how lovingly my mother selected her cherished stamps, art, and furniture pieces for various family members. When she passed away, some of these family members had predeceased her; others had no use for the stamps or art. No one wanted the furniture.

I realized that many cherished items have memories attached that mean nothing to the next generation. I love the African masks that my parents picked up when we vacationed in Senegal and Mali. I was glad to inherit a couple when my mother passed away.

I am sure my daughter will not want them. She did not smell the sea air or walk on the peculiar (red) African soil. She was not surrounded by dozens of children, the girls with beautifully braided hair, wanting a few coins. She did not watch my parents select the masks and haggle for a good price. To her, those masks have no meaning.

So I am cleaning out my things for her sake as well. When it is my time to go, she will not have to sift through thousands of items, trying to decide what to do with them, or worse, felling guilty for tossing something her mother loved.

A friend of mine spent years going through his parents’ things and is still not done. I don’t want to do that to people I care about.

And now, while I am still among the living, I can enjoy my free time. Having less stuff means less work to maintain everything.

It is lovely to spend time in open, uncluttered spaces. Everything I own has a purpose or surrounds me with beauty and memories. I have less than 30% of the clothes left that I used to own, and my closet still does not look empty. There is still room for more decluttering.

So here’s to Swedish death cleaning. The words may seem jarring or odd, but the concept is just right.