For my entire life I have been a collector — of Disney, books, games and general memorabilia. In fact, hoarder might be a more accurate description. Now that I’m officially old, as into my seventh decade, I know all this stuff will have to be dealt with someday. My worst nightmare is knowing at some point there will probably be a huge dumpster in my driveway.
It’s somewhat comforting to realize I’m not the only one. A trend is developing around the idea of not waiting until it’s too late to declutter your home. The process is becoming known as death cleaning, after the Swedish dostadning, a hybrid word that literally combines death and cleaning. This way, you get to decide where your possessions go while simplifying the burden for your heirs.
![](http://www.bobwelbaum-author.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/death-cleaning.jpg)
The trend has progressed to the point where it now has its own “bible”: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson, a Swedish artist who says she’s somewhere between age 80 and 100. “Generally people have too many things in their homes,” says Magnusson in a YouTube video posted by the book’s publisher. “I think it’s a good thing to get rid of things you don’t need.” Magnusson says she’s always death cleaned, “because I want to have it nice around me, keep some order.”
Not that there is any urgency, but with the clutter I have, it’s never too early to start.
Taken from ” ‘Death Cleaning’ Is the Newest Way to Declutter. Here’s What to Know” by Amanda MacMillian (https://time.com/4985533/death-cleaning-declutter/?).