NORTHFIELD — Home organization can feel like a daunting task, especially after years of collecting items.

That’s where Wild Geese Decluttering of Northfield comes in.

Elizabeth Pastorfield-Li, a Boston native who goes by “epli,” had been decluttering for friends and family members for years before she decided to turn the practice into a business. She sees the decluttering process as something deeply personal, whether it’s organizing years of accumulated items or sorting through the belongings of a deceased loved one.

During the pandemic, Pastorfield-Li trained to become a death doula, an individual who provides emotional, spiritual and physical comfort to people at the end of their lives.

“There’s so many ancient cultures that understand that death is a part of life,” Pastorfield-Li said. “I feel like in our dominant culture we don’t look at that very much and yet we’re all going to die. I find that the more we lean into that, the more alive we are when we’re here.”

Throughout the decluttering process, Pastorfield-Li employs a tactic known as “Swedish death cleaning.” The practice looks for us to ask the question: what will happen to our stuff after we die? Typically, when someone dies, their loved ones are left to decide what to do with all their belongings. Swedish death cleaning, on the other hand, looks to make the grieving process easier by decluttering before death.

Swedish death cleaning isn’t all about preparing for death, though, she said. It also creates space for living.

“It’s about getting real about what it is that serves you and doesn’t serve you,” Pastorfield-Li said, “so that you have more literal space in your life to do the things that make you feel alive and good.”

Wild Geese Decluttering takes its name from the poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver. She writes about how we are not alone and how we have a place in the world just as we are. Through the name, Pastorfield-Li wanted to infuse this concept into the business.

“We’re not supposed to do all of this alone,” she said.

Pastorfield-Li operates the business entirely by herself. To start the process, she offers a free 15-minute consultation to answer any questions. After this, she requires a $250 deposit that covers both an initial 45-minute walk-through and the first four hours of work, with each subsequent hour beginning at $50.

The decluttering process can be done in a single day or over the course of weeks and months, depending on what the client is looking for. Once the cleaning is done, all the leftover items are donated to Experienced Goods, a thrift store in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Kira Orton, of Northfield, has been working with Wild Geese Decluttering to organize her house after wanting to do so for years. She first heard about the business through a friend, and she decided it was finally time to declutter. Although anxious about the process at first, she found Pastorfield-Li’s approach to be very comforting.

“With all that’s accumulated in drawers and closets, it felt overwhelming to imagine ever sorting through it all. [Pastorfield-Li]’s calm approach and ability to create ease for letting go of things that no longer serve my life has created space for what actually supports it,” she said.

Pastorfield-Li is also helping Greenfield resident Chrissy Schoellkopf to declutter her family’s home. Schoellkopf said she accepted the mess in her home as a byproduct of having two young children. Now that her kids are older and in school, the mess remains.

Schoellkopf said she felt taking care of organizing her home was her responsibility alone and she felt shame about asking for help.

“With [Pastorfield-Li], my shame was not only understood but welcome,” Schoellkopf said. “She came in with the perfect blend of warmth, energy, curiosity, patience and vision.”

After the initial walk-through, Pastorfield-Li got straight to work on the pantry, completely decluttering this first room of the house in two hours. Seeing the fresh room and the possibilities for the rest of the house, Schoellkopf was overcome with emotion.

“The relief of having help was immense and I felt like crying,” she said.

Wild Geese Decluttering looks to help those who are struggling with their material possessions, whether getting ready for a move, remaking a space to be livable or preparing for the death of a loved one. For more information, visit wildgeesedecluttering.com.