Sue hates the thought of her children sifting through piles of office paperwork, tons of boxes of who-knows-what in her basement, and way too many kitchen gadgets when she’s gone, but what can she do about it? Sue needs to know about Swedish Death Cleaning.

Enjoy The Results Now

Swedish Death Cleaning is the practice of decluttering your possessions now so that your grieving children don’t have to do it when you’re gone. And frequently, it includes giving away things that no longer bless you so you can bless friends and family while you’re still around to see that blessing. Imagine the fun of seeing a favorite picture that leaned against your guest room wall for years now hanging in your daughter’s home. Or, seeing your son using the beer steins still in boxes from your last move.

Enjoy The Results Later

Although Sue won’t be around when her friends and family deal with what remains in her home, she can appreciate that they won’t have to deal with ordering a dumpster or calling Purple Heart while they grieve.

She can go a step further to bless her loved ones. Discussing with the future recipients what she wants to do with the pieces she’s keeping will eliminate so many problems later. The key is to let her sphere of future recipients know what is going to whom to avoid questions later. Additionally, Sue should label the pieces with the recipient’s name and create a master list to email to the folks who need to know.

Make Sure You’re Giving A Blessing

Swedish Death Cleaning should be a blessing to your friends and family, but passing on some items while you are still around does the opposite. Rarely is it a good idea to return a gift to the giver since this could send the message that you don’t value what they gave you. Don’t gift something that requires repair or does not match the recipient’s style. Instead, throw away broken items and donate things when there isn’t a specific person to bless. Whether you give to a loved one or donate to charity, you will be decluttering your home and life–what a blessing!

Swedish Death Cluttering – decluttering with a purpose