death cleaning

[ deth-klee-ning ]

/ ˈdɛθ ˌkli nɪŋ /

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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.

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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 dö “to die” + städning, verbal noun from städa “to tidy, clean, clean up, clean out”

Words nearby death cleaning

death care, death cell, death certificate, death chair, death chamber, death cleaning, deathday, death-dealing, death duty, deathful, death futures

How to use death cleaning in a sentence

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Asia Bibi, as she is known, was arrested and sentenced to death.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The most notorious states are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where death is an acceptable legal remedy.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The death toll, which experts believe has been significantly undercut by secret burials, stands at 7,905.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is the place where the Muscovite criminals are banished to, if they are not put to death.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
They ranged from moving trunks to cleaning cisterns, and, by grace of all of them, Sim was doing very well.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Elyon is the name of an ancient Phœnician god, slain by his son El, no doubt the “first-born of death” in Job xviii.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
Your sacrifice shall be the agony of agonies, the death of deaths, and yet you'll find yourself unable to resist.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Good is set against evil, and life against death: so also is the sinner against a just man.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various