Have You Heard Of Swedish Death Cleaning? Here’s Why It Works!

Swedish death cleaning is the next level of the popular Marie Kondo concept of only keeping the things that bring you joy. The major philosophy behind Swedish death cleaning is to ask yourself not only with this bring you joy, but will this bring others joy when it’s left behind.

According to the author of the book Swedish Death Cleaning, there are three main reasons for our major messes. Humans are natural hunters and gatherers, so it makes sense that we would apply that base instinct to the way we live. Therefore, we justify collecting more and more things because we want to horde, we want to collect, and we think others will want our things once we pass away.

The truth, however, is that most of the things we own will not bring others joy, and they won’t want to go through all of our things after we’re gone.

There is a huge emotional cleansing that comes with the Swedish death method of cleaning. As you rid yourself of some of the more sentimental things, you can process those memories and even call up old friends and family members. Of course, you can keep those things that are precious and mean a lot to you, but keeping your old high school yearbook? Maybe not so much. As you consider getting rid of some of these things, you can process memories and close certain chapters of your life.

This method might not be for everyone, but it’s an interesting take on minimalism and downsizing! Find out more about Swedish death cleaning in the video below!