Organized but not ready for döstädning

Decluttering advice like döstädning (Swedish “death cleaning”) and KonMari tidying can leave us feeling that we’ve failed if we don’t strip our homes to the bare bones. 

As I attempted döstädning — clearing out unnecessary belongings so that others don’t have to do it when we’re gone — it became apparent that I was not disposing of everything unused. 

It was my second try in two years at going through closets, cupboards, and drawers. Each time it resulted in only about a half dozen garbage bags of stuff for the thrift store, fewer than anticipated. Seems I’m just not ready to get rid of clothes that fit, even if I don’t wear them; kitchen gadgets that I admire for their cleverness and then return to an upper shelf out of reach; and excess pillows and blankets. 

But I don’t feel like a total failure at döstädning. Its purpose was at least partly achieved — to make a cleanout easier on survivors. My condo is organized even if not bare-bones. Like things are together. Boxes are labeled. Those whose contents are meaningful to me but not anyone else have “toss” written across them. Someone coming in to empty out my place ought not be dismayed.  

The prospect of clearing out a large home where one has lived for decades and raised a family must be overwhelming. I had to push myself to start in 900 square feet. Once I realized döstädning wasn’t happening, I settled on the smaller goal of organizing. You don’t have to choose between an all-out assault on your possessions or doing nothing. 

My place was already pretty organized from the effort two years ago, but I shifted around some things and freed up shelf space. It feels good to know what I have, where it all is, and where to start should I want to purge more and create more storage space, which I don’t expect to need. 

Although I’d like to report that organizing put me on a roll, that’s not the case. I’m through with sorting for now. 

I have room for what I kept. Clutter isn’t in my way. I no longer fear that my survivors will be overburdened. Since I’m not a shopper and bring little in, the condo should stay organized if I keep everything in its right place. 

When I prepared to have the condo repainted a year and a half ago, I proved that I could be brutal about purging. The painter asked me to remove everything from shelves. The books that went into brown grocery bags took up so much of the living room that he wouldn’t have been able to move around. I took half of the bags to Open Books. 

There hasn’t been one book I’ve looked for since. It would likely be similar for the clothing and kitchen stuff I should part with. I expect to have the urge at times to purge more, but I don’t expect to do the whole place in one fell swoop again. With my possessions organized in categories, I could approach the task one category at a time. Any further decluttering need not be grueling.