Döstädning, Swedish Death Cleaning

Swedish death cleaning, döstädning, defined by my family

As more blogs are written about döstädning I had to ask my Swedish family what they believed the word meant. My uncle Åke put it plainly for me saying, “Deadcleaning means that you get rid of your things so your children don’t have to take care of too many things after you.” 

You can watch Emilio share with CTV News a quick summary of what Swedish death cleaning is and why it’s important for you to consider.

Is döstädning the same thing as downsizing?

The closest term in English for Swedish death cleaning we feel is downsizing. Downsizing being the term most older adults have coined for starting to let go of their life’s accumulation.

The trigger for me to write a short blog about the word was that same uncle from Sweden. We sent them a copy of our hardcover book for Christmas. When they received it they wrote us, “Today I was very glad to find your nice book in our box. I’m so proud of having a relative writing a book, and it will certainly help us organize our life. Being 75-it’s time to get rid of all old things and make our “deadcleaning.”

He used the term so easily like he knew that this was a part of life. We often forget that death will eventually come for us all and what we leave behind will either be seen as pleasant or burdensome. It’s never too late or too early to consider what you have and why… in fact it is quite a freeing experience to know that your material items are just that… material items.

Below Left: My Kristoffersson Family Reunion in Bollnas, Sweden, 2012

Below Right: Döstädning is not the only Swedish word we use in Canada. I spotted Fika on our neighbourhood cafe sandwich board 2 summers ago.

Don’t get down, get organized and keep living fully 🙂

Here is what we recommend:

• Really take time to think about your wishes — then write down your intentions.
• Consider those who will come after you.
• Who would get value from your things now or in the future?
• Make an event out of it — have a photo sorting party, laugh and enjoy your memories with those you love.
• Don’t let your age get in the way — this can be done at any stage in your life

If you like reading you can learn more by reading The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.

Have you ever thought about what will happen with your belongings when you die?