The name Swedish death cleaning is a little off-putting — after all, it’s got death in the name — but it’s actually a form of cleaning and organizing meant to bring you more joy. In today’s blog post, the team at ACE Storage Bowling Green is going to provide you with a beginner’s guide to this new decluttering trend. Continue reading to learn more, and if while you’re decluttering you need a space to hold your stuff, simply rent a secure storage unit!
What Is Swedish Death Cleaning
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What is Swedish Death Cleaning?
In essence, Swedish death cleaning is a type of decluttering that you do when you consider what objects you want to leave behind after you die. While it is traditionally something done by people later in life, you can do it at any age. The idea is to make your loved ones’ memories of you nice by making sure that they aren’t left to sort through tons and tons of things that you’ve left behind.
Death cleaning isn’t sad, and it doesn’t have to be done in a single go. It’s more about changing your relationship to the things you own and the things you buy. It’s also an opportunity to talk with your loved ones about what things that they love and would like to inherit. You want to know that the things you live behind will have a new home and will bring those people joy.
The Process
Begin with the things you have in storage or hidden away in attics, garages, or self-storage units. It’s important to involve family and friends when you start the process so that they can come to claim any items that you’d like to get rid of before you throw them away or donate to charity.
If you already know what you’d like done with certain belongs, tell the person you’re leaving it to or leave a note. Think of it like a mini/informal will, but for books that need to be returned to their owners, clothes that will be passed along to someone else. For you, it’s an opportunity to reflect on the people you love most and who might enjoy your possessions.
Next, shred or throw away things that could be upsetting, hurtful, or embarrassing for your family to find after you’ve passed. If it’s something that still brings you joy but may also be hurtful to someone else, bring it into your home with you/somewhere you’ll see regularly and decide later on if you still want to keep it.
Lastly, create a “private throwaway box” that is filled with items that mean a lot to you, but wouldn’t mean anything to other people. It could hold things like old love letters, memories from trips, dried flowers, the stone in the shape of a heart you found on a hiking trip, and any other lovely little things that you enjoy but that others won’t need. The idea for the throwaway box is that your friends or family can look through the box if they like, but aren’t obligated to keep any of it.
Why Should You Do It?
Death cleaning isn’t about just tidying up, it’s about creating a permanent shift in your relationship to your belongs. More so, when you change the way you think about what you own, it also changes the way that you organize your life, making your everyday life run more smoothly.
Paring down and cleaning can make you happier and help you focus on the really important things in your life. It reminds you that happiness doesn’t come from stuff, but rather our relationships, experiences, and memories. Once you’re able to get rid of the excess stuff in your home, you’ll be better able to identify what really matters to you and brings you pleasure.
De-cluttering and organizing can also help you feel less stressed. Having fewer things can make life seem more manageable, and it also decreases the amount of time you need to spend cleaning and organizing your home. When there is less chaos around you, there’s also less chaos within!
ACE Storage — Bowling Green Storage Facility
People choose to rent a self-storage unit from our facility for many reasons, and one of them is that they’re decluttering or deep cleaning their home and need a space to store belongings while they sort through what they want and what they want to let go of. More so, when you do a deep clean or declutter, you might also find items that you still want to keep, just not in your home. A secure storage unit is a great place to put those items!
We have a variety of sized units, ranging from 5x10 storage units to 10x30 units. Our storage facility is clean, well-lit, and affordable. If you’d like to learn more about our storage facility or want to reserve a self-storage unit, please contact us for our rates!