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Sorting, classifying, tidying up: “death cleaning” is all of these things at the same time. Coming from Scandinavia, this concept meets the needs of the elderly, who want to put their house (and their life) in order.
In her apartment, Hélène organizes her things in a methodical way. This big fan of Marie Kondo tries to optimize her space to keep only the essentials. As with this 36-year-old Parisian, this obsession with storage has taken on unprecedented proportions in recent years, reaching the oldest among us.
We then speak of “death cleaning”. “A process of cleaning, sorting and reorganizing for this final phase of life”declares Carmen Jean-Baptiste, “home organize” and expert in “death cleaning”. One of the first to exercise this activity in France.
Swedish concept, the “death cleaning” is popularized by the release of the book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” by Margareta Magnusson in 2018. “Death cleaning is not about dusting or mopping; it is a permanent form of organization that makes your daily life more fluid”writes the author who lives in Stockholm. “A way to avoid cluttering the living space”justifies Carmen Jean-Baptiste.
Good in your body, good in your head!
“It’s up to you”
The one based on the writings of the Swedish insists that she does not find this way of proceeding sad or embarrassing. On the contrary. “The more we are aware of death, the more intensely we live”she said on the phone.
In fact, death cleaning varies from client to client. Some want to get rid of objects and clothes that have been accumulated for years, others want to clean up to mark a new stage in their lives, while still others want to lighten the sorting work of their children when they will be dead. Whatever the reason, home organizer is there to help. “It’s up to you”, says Carmen Jean-Baptiste.
His last client, for example, was only 30 years old. Alice, then in the middle of a move, wanted “reorganize his head. And it starts with my father”, she explains in a video posted on the expert’s Instagram account. Her childhood bedroom was overflowing with clothes and papers. “Going to get things, taking them out and sorting them, I find that takes a lot of steps”, said the young woman. While with Carmen Jean-Baptiste, “I was sorting when you brought things to me. In the end, it was incredible”.
Since the pandemic and the advent of Marie Kondo, storage needs have been felt. People do not hesitate to turn to professionals to get to work. The New York Times reports, for example, that the Covid-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for many older people who have needed to sort out their lives.