Swedish Death Cleaning ATX
Processing your stuff...while processing life.
What is Swedish Death Cleaning?
Swedish Death Cleaning, or döstädning, is the act of sorting, shuffling, organizing, getting rid of, passing on, and actually using our things.This Scandinavian concept, which came to the U.S. in 2017 with the publication of Margareta Magnusson's "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning," encourages us to be thoughtful and practical with our stuff, not only at the end of our lives, but during life's many transitions.Death, birth, divorce, empty nest, career change.Decluttering before, during and after these life-altering seasons is a gift we give ourselves and our loved ones, no matter our age.Swedish Death Cleaning is something that many people do instinctively during times of transition or even particular seasons, like around the New Year or the beginning of spring.But there are times when the task feels too monumental, too tender, too heavy. That's when it might make sense to have someone like me come in to work with you through the process.
About me
Who is Addie?
I'm a longtime newspaper writer who founded an Austin-based tarot and ancestral healing company in 2021 called Don't Fear the Death Card.As I met clients through my tarot work, I saw many of them struggle with the physical objects left behind by their loved ones, so I started working with clients who wanted a little extra emotional support while they worked.In my early death cleaning days, I met widows, new mothers and grieving daughters whose lives were transformed by the process of working through the stuff that was starting to feel like baggage.I now travel around the world helping people work through their stuff.I think of Swedish Death Cleaning as the dusty storage unit where "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" meets "The Wild Edge of Sorrow."It's where grief meets growth.
Swedish Death Cleaning
What services do you offer?
I help people organize their stuff.We all have too much of it, but some of it is harder to process than others.That's where I come in.I am a journalist, a tarot card reader and a recovering pack rat who has learned how to keep what she likes and leave the rest.I'm also a Swedish-American who has spent a decade building an ancestral healing practice, a way of living life that allows the present to be informed by the past but not controlled by it.I love sorting through cabinets and closets and kitchens and those boxes in the guest bedroom closet that you dread opening because it takes two weeks to put them away.I love hearing stories about the life behind all the stuff.Most of my clients hire me for weekly or monthly sessions to tackle specific projects, such as closets, storage units, garages, and a second bedroom that will soon be a nursery.No matter where you live, I can help you work through the much-loved objects, photos, clothes and mementos that are holding you back.
the gift economy
What happens with my stuff?
I am a big proponent of the gift, or circular, economy, where objects move freely because they are treated like gifts. Most of the things I remove from these sessions are given away in my local Buy Nothing group rather than sent to the local thrift store.This adds a layer of meaning and comfort for clients who want to feel that they are "passing on" their beloved objects rather than "getting rid" of them.
what people are saying
The Downsizer
"Between my house and two storage units, I was drowning and absolutely paralyzed. With Addie's guidance, I can see the end in sight, and that feels absolutely wonderful."
what people are saying
The New Mom
"Cleaning our house today and thinking how much easier it is thanks to all our hard work death cleaning last year!!!"
what people are saying
The Grieving Daughter
"My mom's house was a total mess before for the estate sale, and there's no way I could have gotten ready for it without you."
Let's talk
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