By Janice Simon, The Organized Auntie
February 27,2018

Move over, Marie Kondo. There’s a new organizing trend for us to follow, Aunties.

Brace yourself. It’s called Swedish Death Cleaning. Yes, you read that right.

We all know stuff can become a burden, and we keep it more out of habit than because we treasure it. In her bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo advises readers go through each item and ask if it sparks joy. If it does, we keep it, and if it doesn’t, we express gratitude and promptly get rid of it.

Margaretta Magnusson, who describes her age being between 80 and 100, has a different approach. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, Magnusson advises us to ask a much more straightforward question than Kondo does: “Will anyone I know think this is crap?” (Did I mention that she’s feisty?) Magnusson advocates for clearing out the belongings we no longer want to live life simply and smoothly – no matter one’s age or stage of life.

This guru’s goal is for us to enjoy life with less clutter - with the side benefit of easing the burden for your relatives in the future when we are too fragile or no longer here to manage it ourselves. Our clutter build-up can affect our nieces and nephews sooner or later (hopefully much,much later!) so it's best to take action now. And for Magnusson, decluttering and downsizing allowed her to give nice things away to good homes where they would be loved and used.

Here are Magnusson’s tips for freeing ourselves – and our loved ones – from a lifetime of clutter:

Just do it. Decluttering may be time consuming in the beginning of the process, but as you go through your stuff, the process becomes much faster. The more you declutter and process your things, the easier it becomes for you to make decisions about things.

Categorize your belongings. To make it easier to declutter your home, divide your things into categories, such as furniture, clothes, and books. Then pick a category to tackle. Enlist the help of your older nieces and nephews.

Pick something simple to start with. Magnusson suggests starting the decluttering process with less emotional items. Don’t start with photos, letters, and those special drawings your nieces and nephews created for you. Instead, begin with something more innocuous such as storage areas in the garage, attic and basement. Chances are you haven’t missed it, and it will be easier to throw away or donate. Leave the more emotional items for last.

Ask the nieces and nephews. As your nieces and nephews grow older, you can ask them what kinds of furniture and things they would like. It’s an interesting exercise to see what kinds of things they’re interested in. Numerous articles have been written of late about how Baby Boomers are discovering their adult children don’t want things like furniture and china. It’s the same for your nieces and nephews. It is good to ask and have those discussions. Surprise them for their birthday with your collection of pottery – but only if they want it/

Memorabilia. Limit memorabilia to one box when possible. Magnusson advocates having a single memorabilia box labeled “Throw Away Upon Death” for the items that are just for your enjoyment. If no one else will find it interesting, label it so people know they can toss it.

As an aunt, you may want to make a box of special items you’ve treasured from each of your nieces and nephews. Put their name on it, and fill it with the cards, drawings, and other items you love from them. You could even add in notes of your memories. This becomes a keepsake for them.

Tell the stories. Some furniture and possessions have stories to tell, and you should tell them. As my siblings and I clean out my parents’ home, we remember the stories behind certain items – the side table my Dad made and the kitchen chair that my great-grandmother brought to Kansas in a covered wagon. We are passing along those stories to our nieces and nephews, who had not heard them before. The stories do add sentiment which makes it more difficult to give away, but it also gives you an idea of where it should go.

#ProTip: Beware the embarrassing stuff. If the nieces and nephews are helping you, steer them clear of anything you would find embarrassing. When cleaning out my Mom’s trunk filled with old clothes, my teen-age niece was horrified when we pulled out a sexy nightie. I may still be on the hook for therapy for that one.

Spring cleaning season is just a few weeks away - but why wait? Get started, now!

Photo: tan4ikk