May 4, 2023
by Mackenzie Schmidt
from People.com
Despite its bummer of a name, the organizing ethos that’s about to sweep the nation is actually incredibly life-affirming.
In the new show, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning (now streaming on Peacock) three experts — organizer Ellinor Engström, designer Johan Svenson and psychologist Katarina Blom — touch down in Kansas City, Missouri, to help declutter the homes (and lives) of clients of all ages. Think: the practical advice of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo mixed with the tear-jerking personal transformations of Queer Eye.
But what is Swedish death cleaning, and how is it different from the organizing trends that have come before?
Death cleaning is the process of editing down a lifetime’s worth of belongings in order to not burden your loved ones with all your junk when you’re gone. “It’s about defining what’s important for you in your life here and now,” says Engström. “To do that for yourself, it’s really a gift.”
There’s no need to question if items “spark joy” or to invest in a vast array of clear bins and handwritten labels. And despite the name implying this is a task only for those at the end of their life, the show’s experts say it’s never too soon to start.
Read the entire article at People.com.