Dictionary.com

death cleaning

[ deth-klee-ning ]
/ ˈdɛθ ˌkli nɪŋ /
Save This Word!

noun
the process of cleaning and decluttering one’s home so as to spare others, especially family members, from the chore of it after one’s death: While I’m still strong and healthy, I’m going to commit to some serious death cleaning.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also called Swed·ish death clean·ing .

Origin of death cleaning

First recorded around 2017; a translation of Swedish döstädning, literally, “death cleaning,” equivalent to “to die” + städning, verbal noun from städa “to tidy, clean, clean up, clean out”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
FEEDBACK