Just what is Swedish Death Cleaning? That was my first thought when I heard the term.
I recently discovered that I’m not very good at getting rid of the clutter. All I do is find better ways to organize and store my clutter.
That’s been a real revolution to me.
I think of myself and so do most people I know, as a very organized person. Perhaps that’s why it’s taken me so long to discover that I never actually get rid of clutter. I just organize it better and the clutter keeps building.
When the cleaning bug hit me this time I started reading about getting rid of clutter rather than organizing. There is a huge difference.
Two books that hit me hard are The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.
Death cleaning is not really a morbid topic and I had already been being motivated by those thoughts. I didn’t want our children to have to sort through my piles of precious clutter or my dear husband either for that matter.
We are also getting close to retirement age. Our children are getting married and moving on and we have a house that is way too big for two people so we have discussed getting a smaller house. I also didn’t want me to have to pack and move all my clutter.
I decided to start with something easy and fold the KonMari way. This link will take you to a uTube video showing you that method.
Starting with our socks seemed simple enough. I didn’t take before photos because I never thought I would be writing about our socks.
I did Dan’s first and asked him to try it for a few days and tell me what he thought. He loves it! Finding socks without shuffling around in his drawer is much easier. He just opens it and can see them all at once! He hHis only request was that I put freshly laundered ones at the back rather than at the front.
I should give you this “storage” tip. A number of years ago I moved everyone’s underwear into the bathroom they use. It took stress off our closets since our children didn’t have dressers and that’s where everyone wants clean underwear.
One thing I really like about Marie Kondo is that she tells you not to run out and buy all sorts of storage items. Rather get rid of things first and see what you need for what you have left. She also recommends things like shoe boxes, which is what I put Dan’s socks in. I like recycling things that would normally get thrown out.
I do not talk to my clothes or belongings as recommended by Marie Kondo. Instead, I thank the Lord for giving me them and for providing so generously for me. I also ask the Lord to help me give up things that someone else needs.
More soon on this topic. Have you tried either of these methods? Leave me a comment.
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