Zero-Waste Swedish Death Cleaning

What happens when you combine Swedish death cleaning with zero-waste practices? Well, I’m going to tell you because I just went through it. For anyone who isn’t familiar with the concept, Swedish death cleaning is the act of clearing out excess belongings before passing so your family isn’t stuck with it after you go to the Great Beyond. And zero waste means creating as little waste as possible.

Read on to find out how to let go of your stuff without filling up the landfill!

The backstory

My husband and I recently moved from a big house to one about half the size. We are in our late 60s. This is our forever home. So we weren’t just rightsizing; we were Swedish death cleaning for the sake of our two adult kids. I attempted a zero-waste cleanout, our Big Rocks theme this year.

Pick a room, any room

People often ask where to start with Swedish death cleaning. My answer is…start anywhere, but start small. A dresser drawer. A closet shelf. Wherever you feel comfortable, start there, then work up to bigger spaces. Schedule one hour or one day a week, or one weekend a month; whatever works for you. (I found that I was less likely to weasel out of it when I put it on the calendar.) This cleaning is emotionally challenging. Rightsizing often involves parting with sentimental items. So, let’s start there.

How to let go

My process for sentimental stuff included texting photos to my kids every day. “Want Aunt Georgia’s plates that we never liked? How about these thousands of drawings you made in kindergarten 25 years ago? Can I interest you in this ugly charm bracelet?” They mostly didn’t want any stuff. So, out it went.

Here’s how to steel yourself to let go:

Ask family and friends if they want specific things. Guilting them into taking things isn’t the way to go. They’ll just wind up being donated or tossed after you pass.
Remind yourself that, in the end, it’s just stuff. You still get to keep the memories. Consider taking photos of the items and saving them to a “Sentimental Items” folder on your phone or computer.
Donating can help someone who needs something more than you do.
Know that doing Swedish death cleaning for an entire household can take months. Pace yourself.
Save the very emotional tasks like photo sorting for later in your death cleaning process, after you’ve built your decision-making muscles. If photos are a sticking point for you, check out our photo organizing basics blog here.
Invite a friend over to help or just listen to your memories as you sort through things. It can be a nice way to honor the memories attached to the objects you’re letting go of.
I would often take a special object in two hands, thank it for the memory it held, and gently put it in a box for donation. Being a little ceremonial helped somehow.
Think about how freeing it will be to have less stuff!
Learn more about Swedish Death Cleaning here.

The unsentimental stuff

Label boxes to fill as you sort through your things; sell, donate, recycle/trash. If you have items that you know someone wants, make a box or bag for them, too.
Donate all duplicate items and pare down multiples of everything. You probably don’t need 12 whisks.
Some libraries will take book donations. You can also make it fun by dropping books around town in Little Free Libraries. Find one near you here.
If it’s broken (or hasn’t fit you in months or years), let it go.
Be ruthless, but be kind to yourself.

The 800-lb gorilla in the room

I mean that giant china hutch in your dining room. Another aspect of Swedish death cleaning is not leaving big furniture that will be difficult for your loved ones to dispose of. Do them a favor and let the big pieces go now. If no family member wants them, call charities like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and Community Warehouse to see if they’re interested. Some organizations such as Resupply will pick up furniture for a fee and deliver it to a local charity.

I dislike this creepy phrase, but…get your affairs in order

Who am I to tell you what to do? We updated our wills and healthcare directives almost two years ago and still haven’t gotten anything notarized because we can’t seem to schedule two friends to act as witnesses at the same time. Don’t be like me; organize your affairs without delay! And if you really want to have a sustainable demise, consider an eco-friendly burial with a local company like Omega Funeral & Cremation Services or Threadgill’s Memorial Services.

For more info, read our blog on end-of-life organizing.

Once you’ve finished that important task, shred or recycle papers that you don’t need, and file the rest appropriately. Need guidance on what to keep? Check out our Document Retention Guidelines.

Set up or update folders for taxes, investments and banking, mortgage or house deed, and so on. As someone who had to sort through 96 black trash bags of random financial papers for a deceased aunt, I beg you to get organized. Consider creating a Nok Box (Next of Kin Box) to make important papers easy for your loved ones to find.

Below are some companies that will shred and recycle your papers. *Note: Shredded paper cannot be placed in Portland-area recycling bins.

The UPS Store: Offers shredding and recycling for $1-$2/lb

Office Depot: $0.99/lb; often has online coupons for shredding discounts

Data Safe: Specializes in shredding and recycling for businesses or large volume for residential

Pride Shred: Will pick up at your home to shred and recycle (contact them for pricing)

More zero-waste death tips and tricks

In addition to the charities mentioned, thrift shops are a great resource for donating your excess belongings. Your neighborhood probably has a few. My fave is Value Village in Tigard, mostly because they give you a coupon when you donate (oh wait, the point is to get rid of stuff, not get more stuff…). Most thrift shops are not charities, but they do keep things out of the landfill.
Goodwill recycles used electronics for free.
Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, and your local Buy Nothing group are good places to sell or give away items. But be prepared to be annoyed by people who say they’ll show up and don’t. And be alert for scammers.
Most junk haulers recycle, donate, or reuse what they can. Need a referral for a hauler? Please reach out to team@bigrocksorganizing.com.

And a pat on the back goes to…me

We recycled, sold, and donated so much during our Swedish death cleaning and move! I’m proud that we kept so many unwanted items out of our local landfill. Were we 100% zero waste? No. But we were intentional about the choices we made, and every item we reused, donated, recycled, or passed along made a difference.

Don’t let perfection stand in the way of progress. There may not be a “perfect” home for every item, but there are almost always better options than sending it straight to the landfill.

Planning to die someday? (Spoiler alert: we all are.) Start your zero-waste Swedish death cleaning now, and do it as sustainably as you can. Your future self, your loved ones, and the planet will all thank you.

Need help? We’re here for you!

Big Rocks Organizing can help with all aspects of organizing your life and home. Whether you’re cleaning out rooms, need gentle support letting go, or want help with paper management, we’re here to help with compassion and without judgment.

Schedule a complimentary exploratory call!

Zero-Waste Swedish Death Cleaning: Your Family (and Your Planet) Will Thank You!