Swedish Death Cleaning for decluttering

You’ve probably spent years telling your kids to clean up after themselves. And now that they’re adults and doing a reasonable job of it (and possibly telling their own kids the same thing), it might be your turn for a little housekeeping.

And like so much of what parents do, it’s all in order to help your kids further down the line.

What is Swedish Death cleaning?

Swedish Death Cleaning is nowhere near as gruesome as it sounds. In fact, it’s actually quite wholesome.

It is the act of going through all your worldly possessions and having a really rigorous clean up. Because one day, hopefully many years from now, when you pass away and leave everything to your kids or other relatives, and you want to avoid giving them mountains of things to sort through and clear out. 

In other words, it’s a lesser known, but still important, part of estate planning for your family.

What are the benefits for you and your family?

You might find it tough to go through your things and clear it out, but you can bet that it would be much harder for your loved ones.

For starters, they will already be dealing with grief, which can make everything more challenging. However, they will be especially pressed to get rid of anything you might have worn or treasured during your lifetime.

Not to mention, they might not know the value, sentimental or otherwise, of your items. You might know that a certain piece of jewellery is nothing more than coloured glass, but they will need to determine that before relegating it to the donation bin.

Plus, you will also get to enjoy the benefits of a decluttered home throughout your golden years. This will be especially useful if you have to downsize, and it’s a great way to ensure the junk is gone – but the truly important and sentimental items remain to be treasured.

How do you start the Swedish Death Cleaning process?

Many people will do this kind of cleaning over the span of months or years. You might focus on the garage for one month, your wardrobe for another month, the cupboard full of old keyboards and faxes from the 90s for another month.

If starting in the garage feels like too much, start small – try your sock drawer, the random junk draw in the kitchen, or your collection of cookbooks.

Doing it all at once will likely feel overwhelming and too difficult but picking different areas and logically moving through them makes the task doable. You may even go through the same areas more than once to try to remove even more items.

What should you do with your unwanted items in New Zealand?

There are several avenues you can take to get rid of those items you’re decluttering:

  • Selling (head to TradeMe or try a garage sale)
  • Donating (consider charities like Dress for Success for workwear)
  • Give them to friends and family (if they want them!)
  • E-Waste such as old laptops can be recycled
  • Fix broken things and either sell or donate them to keep them out of landfill
  • See if you know anyone moving to a new house for everyday household items
  • The rubbish bin is the last resort – but you’ll still probably fill a few bags!

One more thing you do for the kids 

The things we do for our kids never really stops – even after we pass away. Swedish Death Cleaning is just one kindness you can do for them now, and funeral insurance could be another. It can help set up funds to cover a funeral so that it doesn’t come out of the estate you leave behind, or out of their own savings. Seniors Funeral Insurance can help ease the financial pressure on your family. Request a quote today to find out more.

5 Dec 2025