by Ed - O.T. - ‘The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning’ Is Your New Reality-TV Addiction

Ed1937

I thought some of you might be interested in this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97sG2vKgmb0

Battlebuddy

You know I’ve been through two deaths of family members who were pack rats - on their way to hoarders . So much stuff. The family had to step in and dispose of all the junk that had never been sifted through. The first required garbage bags of stuff to good will, and the second , after trying to go through it, we ended up calling in a service to get rid of it.

It had such a profound effect on me. I have resolved to not do that to my kids. I’m in a really good place ( thank you Covid and lock down) with only the things I actually use. Paper s are in a Next of Kin box. I heard the term Swedish Death Cleaning and thought” Oh that’s what I’ve been doing!”

jfkoc

Everyone seems to be Swedish Death Cleaning. I think it used to be called organizing and seasonal spring cleaning...lol Any way, I am still in the throws of it and went through a whole file drawer today.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Jo C.

Had me laughing Victoria, I was hoping it would not be another slog such as Bergman's, "Cries and Whispers," - "Viskningar op rep." The female character's psychological searching for meaning in suffering and death with persistent clocks ticking and scenes done in deep crimson (blood?) . . Ikea meatballs indeed - that gets my vote! (They are yummy; and the recipe has been published.)

Thanks Ed for leaving out the mental strife needed to get going with the Swedish, "Death Cleaning,"

I really need to do this in our big two story . . . instead of feeling "whelmed," (yes; there is such a word), I will think only one drawer at a time going clockwise around each room; that's the easy part and and then each closet . . . and for the big walk-in closet, telling myself only one to two feet done at a time for the day; and as I do more, feeling so proud of myself . . . yet having a shortcut way out if it is just not a good day for it all. However; I need to find the impetus to get going . . . sigh . . .

J.

BethL

My mother did NOT clean out her house at all. It was left to me. 1500 sq foot house with a full basement. Basement was full of cardboard boxes - many empty. Basement air was moist so there was mold down there. To clean out her home took 5 dumpsters; also 8 large trash bags for Goodwill, plus neighbors came over and bought items, my sister and I took items, and then a company that buys estates came and took all that was left (they paid us a pittance for it).

I plan NOT to do this to my kids....

Beachfan

Great link, Ed! I forwarded it to my pack rat daughter.

I feel as though I have been unwittingly and intermittently Swedish Death Cleaning my entire married life. I will go for a crockpot in a cluttered cabinet and without thinking will sort, toss, and reorganize the contents of the cabinet, scrub the cabinet clean, and maybe reline with shelf paper the base and shelves of said cabinet. Sadly, the task accomplished, I realize it’s now too late to start a 6 hour slow cook in the crockpot I originally sought.

GothicGremlin

Just thinking about this level of cleaning makes me tired. 😄

I had to clean out my aunt's house after she passed away. Every nook and cranny was filled with stuff. I enlisted family to help out, and it still took months.

Then I had to clean out my parent's house when they passed away. Again, so much stuff. Peggy and I did the bulk of the work.

Once Peggy hit stage 6, I felt it would be okay to clear out her storage area that she'd had for twenty years. By now I'm thinking being a pack rat is hereditary. And what is it with taxes? Peggy had boxes of tax files dating from the early '90s. My parents had them from the late '50s. My aunt had hers from forever, as well as a couple of boxes of my grandparent's taxes. I have the required 7 years of taxes.

I've promised myself I'm not going to do this to whoever ends up cleaning out my house. I've been taking my time, but extra stuff is slowly disappearing.