DECLUTTERING
THE SWEDISH ART OF DEATH CLEANING JULIE BARNES
At first glance there is something incredibly awkward about asking your in-laws to read a book called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. But after reading it myself, I couldn’t not suggest it to them. Especially after I read this part: “Many adult children worry about the amount of possessions their parents have amassed through the years. They know that if their parents
don’t take care of their own stuff, they, the children, will have to do it for them.” At just over 100 pages, the book isn’t a huge time commitment, and my in-laws graciously accepted the challenge—although my mother-in-law asked if there was an ulterior motive behind my request. There was. My in-laws, Bev and Joe, have accumulated two large
houses-worth of possessions over their 43 years of marriage. They have a home in the city and one at the lake, and they don’t plan to downsize (real estate wise) anytime soon. So the line in the book about concerned adult children struck a chord. The book’s Swedish author, Margareta Magnusson, walks readers through several tips for paring back belongings, by
category, a la Marie Kondo, the Japanese phenom who has become an international font of decluttering advice. In fact, Margareta has been called “the Marie Kondo of death.” The objective is to avoid leaving a mess for others to clean up once you’ve kicked the bucket. As Margareta says, “Do not ever imagine that anyone will wish—or be able—to schedule time SASKATOON HOME SPRING 2019 | 63