Swedish Death Cleaning Guide

In Sweden there is a word for clearing out your belongings before you die: döstädning, usually translated as Swedish death cleaning. It sounds intense. It isn’t. The purpose is simply to organize what you own before you’re gone, which spares your family the job and forces you to decide what your things are actually worth.

We know you love your Swedish gifts — at Scandinavian Shoppe we sure love all of our Scandinavian products. But we also know which ones carry a rich history and which are gifts we don’t have to feel guilty about passing along to someone else.

Even if you’re not ready to start death cleaning, you can still think about your belongings this way. Instead of focusing on what “sparks joy,” think about what your things do for you right now and what they will do for your family later.

If you want to learn more about the process, Margareta Magnusson’s book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is a great place to start.

Why Döstädning Is Not Really About Death

The name puts people off, and that’s a shame, because döstädning is one of the gentlest decluttering philosophies there is. It isn’t a weekend purge and it isn’t about living with less for its own sake. It’s a slow, ongoing habit of asking one question about each object you own: will this be a gift or a burden to the person who has to deal with it?

That question does something the “spark joy” test doesn’t. It moves the decision outside yourself. A drawer of tangled cables sparks nothing either way, but it is unambiguously a burden. A hand-carved Dalahorse your grandmother brought from Sweden might not spark much on a Tuesday morning — but it carries a story, and someone will be glad to inherit it.

This is also where döstädning meets lagom, the Swedish idea of “just the right amount.” Not spare, not stuffed. Enough.

Tips for Döstädning

Ready to try it for yourself? Swedish death cleaning doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything right now. Follow some of these tips to work through your home a section at a time.

Clothes First

Spring cleaning can feel overwhelming, especially with all this talk about death cleaning. Starting with your clothes makes the process easier. If it doesn’t fit, or you don’t wear it, or you don’t like it, let it go.

Re-gift

We know you love your Swedish gifts, but if you have too many of them, think about sending some to a new home. Don’t re-gift junk. But if it’s something you could do without that still holds value, it could make the perfect sentimental gift for a friend or family member.

Have a party

When we say re-gift, we don’t mean you should try to rehome everything on your own. Instead, invite some friends and family over to look through your donate pile. It makes the process fun and saves you hauling boxes around town.

Go through memorabilia

This one sounds hard, but we all have cards and school assignments dating back to middle school. Give yourself one box and fill it with the most important memories and paperwork. See what you can digitize to reduce the space those memories take up.

Save the sentimental things for last

Magnusson is firm about this. Photographs, letters and keepsakes are the hardest category, and starting there is how people stall out on day one. Clear the easy ground first — kitchen drawers, the linen closet, the garage — and by the time you reach the sentimental boxes you’ll have had plenty of practice deciding.

Think before you buy

This is the important one. We love our Scandinavian products as much as the next person. But when you go to buy another Swedish gift for your home, think about what it will actually add.

Extra tip: instead of buying a lot of smaller Swedish gifts, save up for the one bigger piece you’ve actually been wanting — something like a hand-carved Dalahorse by Robert Ljubez or a pair of Egos Copenhagen slippers. The reward is greater and you keep unnecessary clutter out of your home.

Buy Things That Earn Their Shelf

The other half of döstädning is what you let through the door in the first place. Things made well, from real materials, by people who sign their work, tend to survive a decluttering round. Things bought in a hurry usually don’t.

A Swedish dishcloth is a small example of the principle: it replaces bundles of paper towels, it composts at the end of its life, and it earns its hook. A Klippan lambswool blanket is the larger version of the same idea — the sort of thing that gets handed down rather than thrown out.

Find Scandinavian Products at Scandinavian Shoppe

At Scandinavian Shoppe, we can’t imagine our lives without Swedish gifts. But we also understand the value of a good clear-out, and the larger sentiment behind döstädning.

If you need sentimental Swedish gifts, shop our Scandinavian products and find something that will brighten your home rather than just take up space in it.