Woman Explains Importance of ‘Swedish Death Cleaning’ While Cleaning Out Parents’ Home
A woman is going viral on Threads after she shared a funny post about a sad moment. It sounds like one of her parents had recently passed away, and Threads user @angeftw was left with the unimaginable task of cleaning out their home after their death.
But once she started digging through things, she started to find some unexpected items. She took the moment to inject a little levity into an otherwise heavy situation, and posted about her experience on Threads.
“Reasons for Swedish death cleaning include: so your children don’t have to go through random boxes of unsorted stuff and discover potential psychological damage,” she wrote before listing out some of the more unusual things she uncovered.
Her post blew up, earning more than 600 likes just a few hours after it was posted. And while many people took the moment to share how they were preparing for their own deaths, others commiserated with some funny items they found while dealing with a loved one’s loss.
The Woman Found Old Photos and Letters From a Private Investigator
View on Threads
If you’re unfamiliar with Swedish death cleaning (Döstädning), it’s the process of decluttering and organizing prior to your death in order to avoid leaving your grieving loved ones with the task. And while it traditionally involves getting rid of the things you don’t need, leaving you with mostly the essentials, according to The Spruce, it sounds like some of the people who commented on the Threads post wish their family members would’ve been a bit more mindful about what they left behind … essential or not.
According to the Threads user, there was quite a mysterious collection hiding in her parents’ house. Some of the things she said she found included photos of her exes, correspondence from a private investigator, and notes that were kept about her and her siblings’ friends.
“The urge to get a giant skip and throw myself in: rising,” she joked.
People Shared How They Wanted Their Deaths Handled
There’s nothing that makes you consider your own mortality quite like someone else’s death, which is likely why a lot of people started sharing their own final plans. “Everyone of my I.C.E. [in case of emergency] contacts have a prioritized call-sheet and clean-up list. No one will know, who is not supposed to,” one person wrote.
“My brother and I have already agreed we’re hiring a junk removal company the millisecond they’re gone. We’re calling it Redneck Death Cleaning,” another person wrote of their own parents.
Others Say They Found Stuff They Wished They Hadn’t
Similar to the Threads user, there were plenty of people who wish they could’ve avoided learning too much about their loved ones after their death. “Twelve trash bags of … materials and marital aids,” one person wrote.
“Also, please clean up your iCloud,” another person added. “I know too much about my sister. Girl, I was just trying to save some pictures for mom.”
While you hate to laugh at someone else’s pain, it seems like these commenters had all managed to find the humor in an otherwise sad moment thanks to these finds.
