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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of death cleaning¹

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”

Example Sentences

“Döstädning: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” is the bestselling book that sparked a TV show and popularized a decluttering technique that has people clean up their belongings before they die, so their friends and family won’t have to.

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Behind the series is Scout Productions, known for reality shows like “Queer Eye,” “Legendary” and “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning,” a company with decades of experience in the reality competition space.

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Some participants face a terminal diagnosis, while others are merely retired, and the “death cleaning” process is meant both to prevent one’s heirs from having to deal with all their stuff and to empower people to find joy and meaning in their possessions and in the distribution thereof.

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Why are Swedes the right type of people to have created death cleaning as a concept?

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Svenson: One thing about minimalism in Sweden is that’s the result of doing death cleaning.

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