When facing a terminal illness or the later years of life, the need to declutter before death can take on a deeply personal and emotional weight. What do you prioritize? How much should you declutter when time and energy are limited?
This blog post was inspired by a heartfelt email I received from a reader who is navigating these exact questions, and it’s a situation that many of us may face at some point.
The purpose of this post is to offer compassionate guidance on how to approach decluttering when you know you only have a short time left. While I can provide some declutter tips, ideas and insights, always remember that you are the one who gets to decide what’s right for you.
Decluttering, especially at this stage of life, isn’t about perfection. It’s about creating peace and making life a little simpler for yourself and those who will care for your things after you’re gone.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This post is not to be taken as professional medical or mental health advice. All statements are strictly my personal life observations. You can see my full disclaimer here.
Why Decluttering Before Death Is Just… Different
Most of the posts I write are meant for people who are expecting to live at least another 20-40 years in fairly good health. From that perspective, it usually feels as if there’s plenty of time to clear the clutter AND enjoy a full life for many years.
However, once you’re faced with a terminal illness or very advanced age, priorities need to be adjusted and a complete declutter may not be the best option. What once might have been a years-long process of slowly minimizing, now becomes more urgent end-of-life decluttering.
I’m sharing (with permission) a screenshot and question from an email I received on this subject and the dilemma it represents.
Here is the question that prompted this blog post:
’I also could spend the rest of my life decluttering but I want to spend it doing things I enjoy and seeing people I enjoy! So my question is if I have to choose 1,2, or 3 things to declutter which areas do you think are the most important prior to one’s death?’
Here’s the truth: You don’t have to — and probably shouldn’t — declutter everything.
The goal isn’t to strip your home bare or spend your precious remaining time sorting through every single item. It’s about focusing only on what’s truly necessary for your comfort and — to a lesser extent — for those who will handle your belongings after you’re gone.
The key is finding a balance to your efforts that gives you peace of mind without overwhelming yourself. Let’s talk about that…
What to Declutter Before You Die
When facing illness or aging, energy and time become very limited resources, and it’s important to be strategic about where you focus your efforts. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of decluttering, you’re not alone. Where do you start?
If I suddenly found myself in the situation of facing end-of-life decluttering, I believe that I would focus on three things, which I’ll cover next.
As mentioned earlier, these ideas are from my personal perspective. Please remember they are just that… my thoughts. Each situation is unique and you should only take any actions after making your own fully-informed decisions.
1. Prioritize Safety First
One of the most important places to begin is with safety in your main living spaces. Is there anything that makes it difficult to move around your home safely? Are there items that could cause tripping hazards or make daily tasks harder? This could include things like piles of magazines on the floor, cluttered walkways, or excess furniture.
Removing these types of items is not just about decluttering — it’s about ensuring that your living space remains accessible and comfortable for you. As we age or face physical limitations, this type of clutter control becomes crucial for quality of life.
2. Sort Deeply Personal Papers and Possessions
Another key area to focus on is deeply personal documents and items that you may not want others to sort through. These could be private papers, financial information that will not be relevant after your death, or even personal letters or diaries that are sensitive in nature.
Organizing or discarding these things can provide you with peace of mind, knowing that you’re taking care of your affairs without burdening loved ones.
Although not necessarily part of the decluttering process, it’s also a good time to think about document organization. If you have the capability, gather important legal documents, wills, insurance papers, and medical information into one organized place.
This ensures that, when the time comes, everything is easily accessible for your family. Keeping these documents organized will help your loved ones navigate the difficult times ahead with less stress.
3. Keep What You Love – Enjoy Your Treasured Items
Death decluttering can be tough, especially when items hold memories. One of the most important ideas I hope you take away from this post is this: you don’t have to give up what you love simply so you can say you’ve ‘done your job’ of decluttering. Instead, enjoy those things while you can.
Maybe you have a beautiful set of china that was passed down from your mother, or silverware that you only use on special occasions. These sentimental items hold meaning, and if they bring you joy, then keep them!
In fact, I encourage you to use these cherished items regularly. Pull out the fine china and use it for everyday meals. Why wait for holidays or special occasions when every day can be special? These belongings can serve as a source of joy and connection to loved ones, especially if you share stories about them with your family.
If you find certain items difficult to part with, give yourself permission to keep them, especially if they still serve a purpose or bring you happiness.
There’s one caveat here: Please don’t keep so many sentimental things that your everyday living space becomes dangerously crowded.
Don’t Feel Pressured to Declutter Every Space
You might be wondering about that attic full of ‘junk’ or the cluttered storage room that’s been on your mind for years. Honestly, you don’t have to clear out every nook and cranny. If a space like the attic or basement storage doesn’t impact your daily life and doesn’t hold anything that’s deeply personal or sentimental that you actually want to deal with, it’s okay to leave it be. You have plenty of other things to think about right now.
Clearing all of the clutter sometimes feels like a ‘must-do’ task. But in this case, the idea is to declutter in a way that makes sense for your well-being, not a full sweep of your house. Focus on the areas that matter most for your comfort and peace.
The most important priority is to enjoy your days as much as possible, and that probably doesn’t mean spending all of your time decluttering!
Declutter with Love: Leaving a Legacy
For the areas you DO choose to declutter, frame it as an act of love for those you’ll leave behind. This concept aligns with what’s known as Swedish Death Cleaning, which encourages decluttering with the understanding that loved ones will eventually have to manage your belongings.
The difference here is that Swedish Death Cleaning usually happens earlier in life, when there’s more time and better health, not quite at the point when your focus should be on living your precious remaining time as fully as possible.
Related: 10 Takeaways From Swedish Death Cleaning That Will Inspire You To Declutter
So, although the idea of decluttering as an act of love is noble, it may not be completely practical for you at this stage. Show yourself some grace and understand that you’re doing the best you can, and that’s good enough.
Even though you’re not doing a complete declutter, you may wish to organize your life in a way that makes it easier for family members to understand the significance of some of the items you choose to keep.
Have family discussions where you relay your memories. Perhaps leave notes with heirlooms or letters explaining the stories behind certain items. Although we can never guarantee what will happen to our belongings after we pass, some of the things we love may become a meaningful legacy.
Enjoy your favorite things now while you can. However, if you’re ready to let some things go, don’t feel compelled to hold onto them because you think ‘maybe’ someone will want them after you’re gone. That’s too much stress for you AND your loved ones.
Final Thoughts: Living Your Days with Purpose
This process of decluttering shortly before death should always be about finding peace, not feeling guilty or overwhelmed.
For some, the thought of clearing clutter will never cross their minds. For others, the idea of completely decluttering brings immense peace of mind. For most of us, if we find ourselves facing terminal illness or extreme old age and still have a lot of ‘stuff,’ how much we decide to declutter will probably be somewhere in the middle.
The thing is, all of those choices are okay because decluttering your life in the final years is about focusing on what brings joy and makes your life easier.
You deserve to live your remaining days with purpose, free from the stress of dangerous clutter, but filled with the comfort of your most treasured belongings. Declutter the items you wish to clear out, organize the important stuff (you get to decide what that is), and most of all, spend your time with the people and things that make you happy.
More Decluttering and Intentional Living Inspiration
5 Simple Tips To Reduce Visual Clutter For A Calmer Home Environment
Be Intentional With Your Actions To Make The Most Of Your Priorities And Energy
10 Simple Yet Productive Things To Do On The Weekend
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This is a beautiful post Julie! I especially love the part about leaving notes with heirlooms or letters explaining the stories behind them. This was the hardest part of cleaning out my mom and dad’s things. I knew some things were very important because my mom used to tell me “never get rid of this” but it would have been great to know the reason why and to have a handwritten note with the explanation.
Thank you Julie – very helpful.
This is very timely for me. I had a heart scare, and am still having tests done to find out what is going on, so I don’t know yet. But I’m looking at all the stuff I have, and realize I have fantastic taste! LOL. I take great comfort in what you said. I have a housekeeper who loves quite a few of my things, and we’ve talked about “taking it out in trade” – she cleans and straightens for me, and I let her take something home that she loves. It’s a great comfort to me that she loves it and will take good care of it. If I “save” it, who knows where it will go after I die? So, I am gifting, trading, selling things, all while doing some decluttering at the same time. Thank-you for this post. It opened my eyes a bit.