Swedish Death Cleaning

Lately, there seems to be interest in various Scandinavian themes - “hygge”, death cleaning, blonde wood furniture, even crime dramas (Wallander, MODUS, The Killing). This time of year, during “The Big Dark”, I think about this region of the world more than usual.

Because I work with people who are downsizing, I was most interested in the concept of “dostadning” – a hybrid of the Swedish words “death” and “cleaning”. How much of this concept is actually a part of Scandinavian culture is debatable, but “dostadning” is the phenomenon outlined in Margareta Magnusson’s The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.

I ran across this book recently and knew I had to see if there was anything new under the sun, really. The answer is - kind of. None of the actual recommendations are earth-shattering or new territory for those people that really know their own personal death is coming…sometime.

The issue is whether or not we are ready to start a process that will improve our lives and home now as well as the experience of our loved ones after we’re gone.

I enjoyed Magnusson’s direct (not surprising!) and yet sweet approach. She frames all her advice through the lens of her own experience and does so with plenty of humor. Magnussen has something most Americans do not: a willingness to talk about death as another stage we humans can’t avoid.  The tendency to avoid this reality keeps The Tidy Magpie in business, since every time I mention what I do in public the chorus starts:

• I have all my parents’ boxes in my garage and I can’t face them.

• How do I help my mother let go of things that I do not want without breaking her heart?

• We want to downsize but our children refuse all the treasure we have stored for them!

Now, we are more than happy to help anyone with this process, in fact WE ENJOY doing it. It may be too late to help your parents, but for those you will leave behind, it could be a blessing!

Read the book and get cracking!!