Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff Lauren Vogue Obama here. Cleaning out the home of a loved one who has recently died or entered a nursing home is something most people dread, especially if they have no idea what to do with all the items their loved one has accumulated. Enter the Swedish death clean It may sound morbid, but it can actually lighten
the burden of grieving loved ones. Popularized in the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by eighty something artist Margaretta Magnuson, Swedish death cleaning is basically decluttering in your later years so that someone else doesn't have to do it for you. Magnuson herself is Swedish but has lived all over the world. Her book was an immediate sensation in Sweden and garnered serious interest in the US
once it was published here in. In the book, Magnusson explains that the Swedes call it though staddening, a combination of the words for death and cleaning. Though it's a relatively recent concept. We spoke via email with and Charlotte gavel Adams, Professor Merita of Swedish Studies at the University
of Washington. She explained that the word isn't listed in any Swedish Academy dictionaries, and that she first heard of the concept ten years ago from a man in his seventies who was clearing out his artworks and books so that his sons wouldn't have to do it when he passed away. She said, he's still alive, though he used the word in a humorous tone. I think the Swedes are as uncomfortable discussing death as Americans, and of course
we're not alone in that. According to a survey by the Academy of Medical Sciences in England, six out of ten people know little to nothing about those last hours of life. In fact, one third of participants declined to answer the questions, leading researchers to surmise that they're uncomfortable or unwilling to talk about death. Even so, the concept has clearly struck a nerve. Boston based professional organizer Riha Becker added Swedish death cleaning to her list of services
after reading Magnusson's book. She said via email, I've worked with so many relatives of people who never streamlined their belongings, only to leave a massive amount of stuff to the unfortunate next generation. Author and motivational speaker B. J. Gallagher has been on the receiving end of this accumulated stuff not once or twice, but three times in the last eight years. One of those homes was her mother's residence, where she lived for four decades. Gallagher said via email.
Along the way, I decided I wanted to start liquidating my own estate before I become elderly and or incapacitated, because I don't want my son to have the same headache dealing with my household at the end of my life. I decided that the greatest gift I can give my son is the gift of no burden. So that's what I've been doing the past couple of years, long before
I ever heard the term Swedish death cleaning. First on the chopping block was her art, clothes, and jewelry, because they all have significant value and aren't simple curbside donations, she said, I've used eBay and social media to sell these items with great success. I made thirty thousand dollars last year selling my clothes, jewelry, and art, and it feels so great to lighten up and clear out spaced
my closets and in the rooms of my house. Although it might seem like an awkward conversation to have the ironies that streamlining personal belongings during those golden years actually
improves the quality of life. Becker said. Some people feel squeamish about the idea that they're essentially preparing their personal environment for their eventual death, but it makes so much sense, and once completed, the person who chooses to do Swedish death cleaning can enjoy a simpler life, surrounded only by the things they truly need or love. Still, it can be a difficult topic to broach with the loved one, as no one wants to imply that Grandma or mom
has one foot in the grave. So if you think the person in question might be somewhat rightfully put off by the phrase death cleaning, take a different approach. But we also spoke via email with Julie Bestry, a Chattanooga, Tennessee based professional organizer. She said, when people contact me about their parents wanting to suggest downsizing for them, I always encourage them to position it from the perspective of how it will improve their parents lives. Now rather than
their families or children's lives later. Accent how a less cluttered environment means there are fewer things to dust, vacuum, or make space to store. Perhaps mention a friend whose parents had excess and fell, breaking a hip and recuperating at home wasn't possible because the cluttered spaces left little room to move about with a walker. Once your loved ones are on board with a full house declutter, you can offer to lend a hand on a gradual basis,
or use the surfaces of a professional organizer. Then start slowly. Becker said, my client chooses the room that's bugging them the most. We handle every item while the client makes decisions, and then we move on to the next room. This process may sound time consuming, but we can often complete an entire room in two to four hours. Here are a few other tips for successful death cleaning from professional organizers. First,
dispose of anything that could be hurtful or embarrassing. I can say from personal experience cleaning out family members homes that finding a loved one's sex aids is awkward. Then bring other friends or relatives and on the action, ask them what items of value they want and write it down or note it in the will. This will limit hurt feelings and fighting after your loved one is passed on.
They may even decide to distribute the items before passing, and finally consider packing a throwaway box items that can't be parted with for sentimental reasons, but that no one else will have a use for. When all of a sudden done, a few people are likely to feel that they've lost anything other than a cloud hanging over their head. Becker said, clients are always relieved to have thinned the herd. They actually feel a lightness that they may have never
experienced before. As I like to say, it's only stuff. Today's episode was written by Alia Hoyt and produced by Tyler Clang. The brain Stuff is a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots of other neat topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com and for more podcasts from my heart radio is thy heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.