The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

I just finished reading the book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter. The author is an 80-100 year old woman, who has recently lost her husband, and decided she wanted to sort her belongings, so after she died, her children and grandchildren wouldn't have to devote so much time, money, and emotion in decluttering a lifetime of belongings. Even if you are not an older adult, there is some helpful advice that we can implement instantly, or cherish for a later time in your life. Below are some of the statements to aid you in decluttering and possibly guard you from accumulating more things.

• Death Cleaning is Not Sad
• It is a term that means that you remove unnecessary things and make your home nice and orderly when you think the time is coming closer for you to leave the planet.
• It is important because if accomplish it, it can save precious time for our loved ones after we are gone.
• It's a term that is used when you or someone else does a good, thorough cleaning and gets rid of things to make life easier and less crowded.
• It is rewarding to spend time with these objects one last time and then dispose of them. Each item has its own history, and remembering that history is often enjoyable.
• Death cleaning is not about dusting or mopping up; it is about a permanent form of organization that makes your everyday life run more smoothly.
• Going through all your old belongings, remembering when you used them last, and hopefully saying good-bye to several of them is very difficult for many of us. People tend to hoard rather than throw away.
• How to begin
• 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.
• Start by checking the basement or the attic.
• Don't start with photographs--or letters and personal papers.
• In general, when death cleaning, size really matters. Start with the large items in your home, and finish with the small.
• What to Keep and What Not To
• The intention is not that we should remove things that make our lives pleasant and more comfortable, but if you can't keep track of your things, then you know you have too many.
• Low-maintenance closet: the point is not the amount of clothing that makes a person well-dressed. It is all about choosing clothing carefully and then organizing it well.
• Being organized means that all things have a place of their own.
• Giving everything a place and you won't feel angry, irritated, or desperate when leaving the house.
• Getting a Second Opinion
• If you decide to downsize your home on your own, you may want to talk to someone about it, someone who isn't family, and doesn't have a sentimental connection to the times you want to get rid of.
• Do not forget to write down a list of all the things you want their advice about.
• After each room is done, you should take a well-deserved break.
• Death Cleaning On Your Own
• Men tend to save most things rather than throw them away. That goes for even the smallest nuts and bolts. They think, and rightly so sometimes, that every little things will be useful at some later occasion.
• How to Discuss the Topic of Death Cleaning
• We can more easily say to parents or anyone, really "What are you going to do with all your things when you do not have the strength for or the interest in taking care of them anymore?"
• Following questions:
• You have many nice things, have you thought about what you want to do with it all later on?
• Do you enjoy having all this stuff?
• Could life be easier and less tiring if we got rid of some of this stuff that you have collected over the years?
• Is there anything we can do together in a slow way so that there won't be too many things to handle later?
• A loved one wishes to inherit nice things from you. Not all things from you.
• Did the Vikings Know the Real Secret to Death Cleaning
• When Vikings buried their relatives, they also buried many objects together with their body. This was to be sure that the dead would not miss anything in their new environment, and the family members who remained would not become obsessed with spirits of the dead and constantly be reminded of them because of their possessions.
• Don't Forget Yourself
• If you decide to downsize your home, it is a good thing to not be in a hurry.
• When you remember the money you are saving by doing it yourself, it will really make you feel that the work you are doing is worth it.
• Another benefit of death cleaning: thinking more about how to reuse, recycle, and make your life simpler and a bit smaller. Living smaller is a relief.
• You can enjoy things without owning them.
• Cookbooks and Family Recipes
• Most of the recipes have been slowly thrown away, the time-consuming ones for cakes.
• Unwanted Things
• If you receive things you don't really want from your parents or someone else who wants to reduce the number of their possessions in their home, you should be honest and say, "No thank you, I don't have room for this."
• Just moving things someone does not want in their house to your house is not a good solution for anyone.
• 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 who gave it to you.
• A fulskap (Swedish term for cabinet for the ugly) is a cupboard full of gifts you can't stand to look at, and which are impossible to regift.
• The Throw Away Box
• "Throw Away" box is for small things that are just valuable to you, as they remind you of special days and happenings.
• It is very important that you do not choose a huge box, a shoe box should do.
• Death cleaning is as Much (or more) For You as For the People Who Come After
• It is a delight to go through things and remember their worth. And if you don't remember why a thing has meaning or why you kept it, it has no worth, and it will be easier for you to part with.
• So if you do not have children of your own, you still have a duty to sort out your life. Go through your items, remember them, give them away.
• Going through letters is a very time-consuming--you will get stuck in old memories and perhaps dream yourself back to old times.
• The more you focus on cleaning, the braver you can become. You may ask yourself, Will anyone I know be happier if I have this? If after a moment of reflection I can honestly answer no, then it goes in the hungry shredder.

For me, my minimalist journey has been a slower process than others. I have really made sure to cherish, enjoy, and honor items that I get rid of. The quickest way is not always the best way, so if you have the time, go at your own pace, and continue to revisit your possessions periodically. One category that I constantly revisit, are the DVDs that I own. I continue to watch movies and tv shows that I own. I have realized that the movies just do not bring the same enjoyment and entertainment level that they once did. Especially with online streaming, I have realized if I don't make a conscious effort to watch something I own, I most likely do not rewatch them. 

One of the things that has been helpful for me, as I have been decluttering, is as soon as I identify something I no longer want, I put it in a bag (either consignment, Goodwill, or trash), and then after those bags become full, I take them to the designated place. 

Good luck as you ponder about your future, and the things you want to be left behind, and be remember by!

• This round of decluttering, I got rid of: 
• 4 tote bags
• 21 DVD movies
• 5 TV Series on DVD
• 2 headbands
• 2 gloves
• 1 Ugg Earmuffs
• 3 scarves
• 1 hat
• 1 dress
• 8 pairs of socks
• 1 magnet
• 1 booklight
• 1 pair of headphones
• 1 shotglass