death cleaning

[ deth-klee-ning ]

noun
  1. 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.

Origin of death cleaning

1
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”
  • Also called Swed·ish death clean·ing .

Words Nearby death cleaning

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024