KonMari Method vs Swedish Death Cleaning

May 28, 2021

Have you heard of the gentle art of Swedish death cleaning? How does it compare with the konmari method?

As someone that has an organizing business and often speak at events about this topic, I love reading about all things organizing and decluttering. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is one of the books I read a few years ago and I remember really liking it. Recently I borrowed It again from the library and thought it would be fun to do a comparison. Before we get started, I want to put in a disclaimer that what I am sharing are my takeaways from reading the books and for the purpose of doing this comparison, I am choosing specific portions of the books to illustrate similarities and differences. Even though I am a KonMari Consultant, the purpose of these comparisons is not to say one or the other is better. I think in general, it’s important to let go of clutter and things that have serve their purposes. Whichever method you decide to use is fine. The best method for you is the one that will inspire action!

Who

The Gentle art of Swedish Death Cleaning is written by Margareta Magnusson. She is an 87 year old and a mother of 5. This book was her first book and it was a 2018 New York Times bestseller.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing written by Marie Kondo. Marie is 36 years old and a mother of 3. The life-changing magic of tidying up was also her first book. The English translation was published in 2014 and a New York Times bestseller.

What is the Swedish Death Cleaning?

Swedish death cleaning is about getting your life in order so your death doesn’t become a burden to those you leave behind. The author  mentioned it’s not just for people that are dying or old age. It’s about letting go of items that no longer means anything to you anymore and it is a permanent form of organization that makes your everyday life run more smoothly.

Comparing this to KonMari Method, a KonMari Tidying Festival is also a permanent form of organization. by successfully concluding this once-in-a-lifetime task, you will gain the lifestyle you aspire to and enjoy a clean and orderly space of your choosing.

Based on these descriptions, my interpretation of it is that the Swedish Death Cleaning is inspiring you to tidy for the sake of other people whereas the KonMari Method is more for yourself. However, at the end of the day, both the person doing the tidying and their family and friends will benefit from either method.

How to start?

In the Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, the author suggested to start by checking basement or attic of the cupboards by your front door so you can temporarily get rid of your excess. The author said these areas tend to hold things you forget about so it will help you reason you will not miss anything if you throw is away. She said to start with large items in your home and finish with the small items. She also recommends to look at your home in categories such as furniture, clothes, books, linen etc. Margareta suggests choose a category that you believe is easy for you to handle and that an easy category is one with many items to choose from without too much sentimental connections. Margareta says she always choose clothes as first category and warn against starting with photographs, letters and personal papers. She said it will get easier with practice.

The KonMari Method suggests to start with a vision of your ideal lifestyle. There is a clear tidying order. Starting with clothing books paper komono and finish with sentimental items. Marie says this order goes from easiest to hardest and while you’re going through your items, you’re honing your sensitivity to what brings you joy and it’ll become easier as you go.

How to decide what to keep or discard?

In the Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, the author said clothes are easy because they are so size specific so you can let go of any clothes that doesn’t fit. She said all garments in a closet should look good together and you should be able to mix and match everything. Keep only what you feel strongly you will wear or is the sentimental connection is very strong. For books, she suggested giving it one last read but she only kept the ones that she hasn’t read or books she needs for regular reference such as the dictionary and atlas. For sentimental items that you know won’t mean anything to anyone else, like love letters, souvenirs, rocks and dried flowers etc, she suggested marking a box “private throw away.” And for private items, she suggested to not save things that will shock or upset your family after you are gone.

There were some suggestions in the book to let your family and friends know about your death cleaning to see what they would want and give the items you no longer want to your children and friends but she also notes to not offer things that do not fit the recipient’s taste or space they live in. It will be a burden to them. So be choosy about which items you ask them about because they might say yes just to not hurt your feelings. Another suggestion is If you’re invited to lunch, instead of buying your friend something, you can give her one of your things.

In comparison, the KonMari Method is very different. For clothing, it’s about focusing on choosing the pieces that brings you joy and choose the ones that will support you to live your life. For books, Marie suggests to not read them at all and don’t keep any books you haven’t read. As for giving the items away, Marie suggests to not let your family see your tidying festival or what you throw away. The similarity is both method says to be very selective about what to give away and not to add to other people’s burdens.

In conclusion

There are definitely some similarities but also many differences. When it comes down to it, both methods want to inspire you to put your life in order and to have gratitude in your heart while going through your things. While I believe the konmari method can work for anyone, I don’t think it works for EVERYONE only because if you don’t believe in it, your action will reflect it and you won’t see the result. So really, the best method is the method that you believe in because then you’ll put your all into it. I hope you enjoy the comparison - Happy Tidying!