The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter (The Swedish Art of Living & Dying) - Hardcover

Magnusson, Margareta

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1501173243 ISBN 13: 9781501173240

Publisher: Scribner Book Company, 2018

Synopsis

A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life.

In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning "death" and städning meaning "cleaning." This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming.

Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you'd ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children's art projects). Digging into her late husband's tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.

About this title

Review:

"Sure, it sounds morbid, but it's actually a pretty smart idea. Death cleaning isn't about getting rid of all your stuff, but rather streamlining your life so you're only holding onto what makes you happy . . . it's about so much more than dusting and sorting."
--Elle Decor

"Magnusson shares solid guiding principles for organizing your home, no matter your age or life circumstance."
--Business Insider

"Keep only what you love and what makes you happy in the moment. It's like Marie Kondo, but with an added sense of the transience and futility of this mortal existence."
--The New York Post

"Pragmatic... the idea in this system is that we should leave behind as little as possible, or at least, not the many thousands of items of junk that Americans often accumulate." --W Magazine

"Has benefits you can enjoy while you're still very much alive... could be a good way for families to discuss sensitive issues that might otherwise be hard to bring up." --TIME

"The decluttering craze that's taking Scandinavia by storm." --PureWow

"[With] humorous common sense, she rightly reminds readers that it takes time to downsize and that putting it off won't make it go away." --Booklist

"'Death Cleaning' is the answer to clutter you've been looking for...Magnusson instructs readers on how to gently and joyously put your affairs in order while you're still alive, rather than leaving it for others to do." --Reader's Digest

"A mindful way to sort through your belongings throughout your life, so that your loved ones aren't burdened by a plethora of personal items after you die... Magnusson advises that the earlier we start the process of 'death cleaning', the better, so we're not overwhelmed with a lifetime of objects by the time we're elderly people." --Better Homes and Gardens

"Magnusson uses a dry, unsentimental and sometimes dark Scandinavian sense of humor, and writes with an older set (and their younger relatives) in mind... like a conversation over tea with a friend." --Associated Press

Book Description:

You embraced hygge and mastered konmari; now meet Döstädning, or death cleaning: the Scandinavian art of shedding unnecessary things to make our lives as joyful as possible, at any age

About this edition

• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1501173243
• ISBN 13: 9781501173240
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128