Swedish death cleaning is the new trend

It's well known among estate planners and estate administrators that most of the household stuff accumulated over a lifetime is simply not wanted by the next generation. The days of passing down the good chinaware and silver are gone.

So what is the answer to the dilemma of what to do with your houseful of stuff?

I've recently come across an article about a process called "Swedish death cleaning". Apparently it's the process of taking years to systematically de-clutter your home before you pass away so that you don't leave a lot of work and unwanted items for your children to deal with. Click here to read an article in www.treehugger.com that explains the process.

I would personally like to see more people take on the challenge of ridding themselves and their homes of dozens - if not hundreds - of items that will only be sold or given away after the person's death. Every week I have at least one conversation with people who want to know what to do with their treasures because their kids have already said they don't want them.

Obviously you aren't going to get rid of items that you actually use, or the really special items that bring back good memories. But perhaps more of us could think about down-sizing some of the possessions that mostly sit in boxes or on back shelves.

The attached photo is the cover of a book called "The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning" by Margareta Magnusson and is credited to Scribe Publications.