What is Swedish Death Cleaning & Why Should You Try It?

Simplify
by Simplify

Kallie Branciforte, lifestyle extraordinaire, reminds us that we’re all mortal, so it’s inevitable that we’ll die someday. And even though we might not want to think about it, all of the stuff we’ve accumulated over the years will eventually become a burden on those we leave behind.


So, she tried Swedish death cleaning in her own home and liked it so much she wants to share her personal experience to help the rest of us with a Swedish death cleaning project of our own.

What is Swedish death cleaning? Kallie says it's the basic idea that we don’t want to leave a mess for loved ones once we pass away, so it’s best to start decluttering all of the unnecessary things we own between the ages of 50-65 years old.


According to Kallie, anyone’s Swedish death cleaning checklist should include items you’ve never needed in the first place or items you once needed but no longer do. She says that most people have plenty of methods for bringing items into their homes but very few methods for removing them. So, we all need to rid ourselves of the fear of letting go and just get rid of them already.

Messy toys

Kallie’s Swedish death cleaning method included going through baskets, bins, closets, and shelves in her home, looking for anything she never needed or no longer needed now. She simply asked herself if each item she came across actually served her, and if not, she got rid of it. In other words, would she use this item again or would donating this item result in someone else enjoying it?


Her Swedish death cleaning before and after results are certainly an inspiration to many. And anyone who doesn’t want to leave their family members with a huge headache after their death should consider Swedish death cleaning.


Swedish death cleaning

For more decluttering advice, discover the 10 biggest decluttering mistakes to avoid and the 15 top clutter-free living tips.


To see more videos, check out the But First, Coffee YouTube channel.

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  • Janie Cortez Janie Cortez on Oct 02, 2023

    Good idea to start decluttering now.

  • Cla104584450 Cla104584450 on Jul 30, 2024

    Already started decluttering, donating, passing along to who wants, and trashing what isn't needed or wanted. The closets in my home, sans one, now echo with beautiful sound of their own emptiness. I've rid attic of over 40yrs 'stuff' and it's no longer a scary place! One small pile left of holiday goo, and family heirlooms for eldest grandgirlie to have and to hold/pitch. It's quite fun going thru old pictures, which I now realize my father was doing this same thing when he sent me all the 'family history' box by box!! Family history equals decluttering!!

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