Simply put, we should be preparing for the end throughout our lives, pruning as we go. Magnusson, who also suggested tossing any letters or journals that might offend your children, should they eventually discover them.
“I don’t think that’s nice to leave that to your own children,” said Ms. In that case, we should have the courtesy to not burden our loved ones with a lifetime of clutter. “If we know something about our lives, it’s that we’re going to die, that’s for sure.” But in her view there’s no reason to avoid the ultimate awkward conversation, because “that’s the only real thing we know that we will take part of,” she said. Magnusson, who is 87, speaking from her home in Stockholm.
“Death, that’s a word that scares a lot of people,” said Ms. Professionals often refer to the task as “death cleaning,” a term popularized in 2018 with the publication of the book, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning,” by Margareta Magnusson, which posited that the prospect of our eventual demise is reason enough to purge. “There’s been a shift in the consciousness of people 70 and over, ” said Ann Lightfoot, a founder of Done & Done Home, a New York City home-organizing company that saw its business double in 2021, and an author of the forthcoming book, “Love Your Home Again.” “They’re like, ‘Oh my God, nobody wants my stuff. In some cases, the inquiries come from grown children on behalf of their aging parents, keen to get ahead on the task so they don’t have to do it alone later. The mood, organizers say, is largely upbeat, with people eager to part with china, furniture and photographs. Professional home organizers are reporting a spike in calls from older customers asking for help sorting through their belongings, seeking to dole out the heirlooms and sentimental items and toss the excess. But what if you decide to tackle the chore now, while you’re still here to make the decisions?Īs we begin to emerge from a long and deadly pandemic, some older Americans have decided to do just that. Cleaning out a home can be a morbid, depressing task, often best left until after you’re gone, when it’s no longer your problem.
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