What is Swedish death cleaning? Go through all your stuff to clear out anything that isn’t useful or doesn’t bring you joy, so you can enjoy a home free of clutter.
Last spring, I heard about Swedish death cleaning and decided it was just the thing for me. Even though I have no reason to think I’ll die anytime soon, I’d acquired enough things over the years, especially since having children, that a purge sounded like good medicine for my middle years. Some of my inspiration for this came from Margareta Magnusson, who wrote the lovely and entertaining book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.
The idea of Swedish death cleaning is that you’re preparing to die, and so you’ll go through all of your stuff – physical, financial, electronic, etc. – and you’ll clean it up and get it all in order so your loved ones don’t have to. Keep the things that are useful or have great sentimental value and get rid of anything else. Give things away to loved ones so they can enjoy them, and donate to charities. It’s an act of love. But why not do all of this earlier in life and enjoy the benefits yourself?
Clear the Space to Clear the Mind
Swedish death cleaning is more than just a purge. For me, it was a time of reflecting, letting go, and looking ahead, to who I wanted to become and what direction I wanted my life to go. I believe intention is everything, so I looked at this process as a tool to physically and energetically shed what wasn’t serving me, as well as a means of allowing myself to get more clarity on what I wanted the next half of my life to be. As I slowly went through one space at a time over the summer, it was a kind of meditation for me.
I’ve always leaned toward being a minimalist, and it does come naturally for me, I admit. I just really don’t like how I feel when there’s mess and clutter around me. My home doesn’t function as well, and I feel unease and a lack of contentment. I want my home to be my sanctuary, where I come to let my guard down, rest, heal, and be completely myself in my best and worst times. I want to surround myself in beauty and things that feel good to me. I believe our homes can be a reflection of what’s going on inside ourselves.
Although I hold these ideas close to my heart, that was so much easier to do and say before I had children. Now, my home is a fuzzy mix of balance, chaos, messes, and clutter. Everything is constantly shifting. I clean it only for it to get dirty again, sometimes in a matter of minutes. My home reflects the clutter and semi-chaos of a busy life and choosing my priorities of cooking nourishing food and spending quality time with my family. I remind myself that these are all good opportunities to practice going with the flow. One of the reasons death cleaning was so appealing to me was that if I could get rid of clutter and unnecessary things, then the messes wouldn’t get quite as big, and we could all flow happier and feel better going forward.
What is Swedish Death Cleaning?
I made a mental list of the areas that needed my attention the most and started tackling them one by one when I had little windows of time. I didn’t put pressure on myself to do it all at once; I just kept it in my mind as a summer project. It didn’t have to get done in a week or a month. I had all summer and, to tell the truth, it’s still ongoing. I hope to keep it as a mindset that stays with me; when a certain area begins to feel uncomfortable or cluttered, I’ll make time for it. That way, maybe, I won’t feel like everything has to be done in one sweep.
Once I set the intention, death cleaning became something that I almost looked forward to, especially after I made it through the first project, which was this terrible corner in our bedroom. I should note that we moved into a small farmhouse about five years ago, and it was built for minimalism. It had only one closet in the entire house, and that was in the bathroom. We’ve since built two more, but that still leaves next to zero space for storage.
Now, as for the unfortunate corner in our bedroom, I’ve had these unpacked boxes in this corner, collecting dust the entire time we’ve lived here. Other stuff was added to the pile too. Some of the contents of these boxes were genuinely important, and some of it I thought I’d need but have since proven otherwise. I had to make room on shelves and in drawers to keep the important things (which meant more purging). What I found was that I was able to let go of at least half of the items in boxes, and now everything I need has a home. Best of all, the corner is empty, which, in a small yet profound way, feels life-changing.
I worked through a big drawer filled with photographs, old checkbooks, old charging cords, and office supplies. I got rid of a pile of old computers and phones that were stashed here and there. With so little closet space, my clothes were piling up with nowhere to go, so I focused on getting rid of as many as I could.
I also went through all of our books. We have so many! Books are hard for my husband and me to let go of, but we did manage to move a fair amount along. What I’ve used as an overall gauge is that if I haven’t used or worn something in a year, I probably don’t need it unless there’s great sentimental value or it brings joy in some way.
As I went through our home and sorted through things, I couldn’t avoid pulling my husband into the process. Since I’m the one who decided to start the project, I did my best to make it easy on him by doing the actual cleaning and organizing. All he needed to do was sort through the piles of books, clothes, papers, or whatever else I put in front of him.
This whole process of death cleaning even pushed a few little home projects to get done! My husband built some bookshelves, and I bought some furniture that we’d needed for a while – all for a better use of space.
Another thing that I’ve been practicing through this process is gratitude. I often catch myself wanting more: a larger house and nicer things. But then I slow down and look at all of the beauty around me and allow myself to feel deep gratitude. That simple exercise frees me from the desire to engage with consumerism more than I need to.
Cultivating Peace
Sometimes when life feels extra chaotic, I look forward to being retired and having grown kids. Then, I’ll be able to keep my spaces organized in the ways I like. But I really do cherish this time. Some chaos and clutter is entirely worth every moment spent with my amazing family – not to mention all the lessons and opportunities for growth that come with them.
Having done this within my home, I feel that my mind and my home have been cleansed, resulting in greater mental peace. My family can move about a little more freely, and I’m holding on to this mindset so when things come along that don’t feel harmonious with our lives, I can easily and quickly move them away.
I hope I don’t die anytime soon, but I like knowing that if I did, there’d be a bit less of a burden for my family to bear. But for me, right now, Swedish death cleaning is more like sweeping away the dust of my past while I choose which golden nuggets of wisdom and meaningful memories to carry along with me.
As for moving forward, my true home and sacred space is within my heart. I intend to radiate goodness and love from here, and my hope is that it’ll reflect through my home, family, and beyond.
If we all focus on decluttering and healing our inner worlds, bringing about deeper peace within ourselves and our families, then we can radiate those energies throughout our world. That’s where real change begins.
Bryn Adrianna Bakkum is a certified Ayurvedic practitioner, a certified yoga teacher, an Ayurvedic herbalist, a certified Panchakarma specialist, an enthusiastic Ayurvedic cook, and a Reiki Master. Her favorite things in life are her family and soaking up the beauty of nature whenever possible.
Originally published in the February/March 2026 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and regularly vetted for accuracy.
