Got allegeries? How to declutter when you have sensitivities #99

Ever feel like decluttering your home is an uphill battle, especially with allergies and sensitivities looming over you like a cloud of dust? I'm Caroline Thor, your KonMari Consultant, and this episode is full of strategies designed to help you transform your chaos into structured calm without sending your health into a frenzy.

Let's put your health first. Picture yourself confidently tackling those messy spots, knowing exactly how to keep yourself safe from dust and allergens.

Today, we're going deep into how to tackle clutter when allergies and sensitivities are in the mix. From prepping your space to taking smart precautions, I've got you covered. This isn't just about decluttering—it's about creating a safe haven for your well-being and peace of mind.

So, grab your coffee and let's kick off this journey together. It's time to make your home not just clutter-free, but a place where your health comes first. Tune in now and let's turn your place into a healthier, happier space!

Thanks for listening! For more organizational motivation, support and free resources:
Join my podcast Facebook group Living Clutter Free Forever Podcast: KonMari® Inspired Organizing | Facebook
Visit my website www.caroline-thor.com
Come and say 'hi' on Instagram @caro.thor
Follow me on Facebook @carolineorganizer
Join my online membership Clutter Free Collective

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:27

Hi there, I'm Caroline Thor, professional organiser, konmari consultant, teacher and mum of three. I started off my life as a mum feeling overwhelmed, disorganised and desperately trying to carve out some time for me amongst the nappies, chaos and clutter. One day, one small book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying changed everything and I began to learn strategies for making everyday life easier. Today, I have the systems in place that means life can throw almost anything at me, and I want to share them with you. If you're an overwhelmed mum struggling to keep it together, then this is the podcast for you. Grab a coffee and settle in for a quick chat with someone who gets your reality. Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Living Clutter-Free Forever podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:28

I have been waiting for months and months to bring you this episode, and I'm so excited that it's finally here, because I think it is just such an important one, and I don't know if you remember, but a couple of episodes ago we had an episode that was inspired by Lisa, who had contacted me on Instagram, and this is another Lisa inspired episode. This is an idea that she gave me. It was something I'd already been considering, but the fact that she wants to hear about this in an episode really prompted me to go ahead and record this for you. I'm hoping it's going to be useful, whether it applies to you or not, because it may hopefully just make you very much more aware of what other people have to deal with, and if you therefore know somebody who this episode would affect, then please, please, pass it on to them, because I know that they will welcome the opportunity to hear some of these top tips that I have for you today. So today we're talking about how to navigate decluttering and organizing when you have allergies and sensitivities, and it can really make life an awful lot more difficult, and therefore it's something that you really do have to take into account when you're starting your decluttering and organizing.

Speaker 1: 2:48

So, first of all, what do I mean by allergies and sensitivity? So allergies are things that you are going to be allergic to, so that might be dust, it could be pet hair or pet dander, it could be mold, it could be pollen, which is something we have in our home at the moment as a problem because of the fact my husband has quite severe hay fever. So if that's something you suffer with, you are going to have to take all of these things into account. Sensitivities are different. These could be chemical sensitivities to fragrances or to cleaning products or any sorts of chemicals, or you maybe have food sensitivities or allergies. So these are things that when you're decluttering and organizing, you need to take them into account because if you suffer from any of these, going through and unpacking things is going to create dust, is going to move stuff around in the air that hasn't been there previously, and it may end up with you having sneezing and coughing problems, headaches. In more serious cases, it can lead to respiratory issues, skin irritation, nausea. And it's not just the actual items and the dust and the dirt that you're moving around by decluttering and organizing.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Your organizer who comes to your home could also be part of the problem. So if, for example, you have very severe chemical sensitivities and I rock up at your home wearing a really strong perfume or having washed my clothes using a very strong smelling laundry detergent, this could be enough to cause you massive issues if you are someone that suffers from these sensitivities. So it's important that before you start declutter and organize, you really think about how this is going to work for you and, if you have got an organizer coming that you make them aware of what they need to make sure of before they enter your home. It's something I'm very aware of because we have so many pets and, try as I might, I cannot get all the pet hair off my clothes. There is always something left on there. So I will ask people to let me know if they have a pet allergy, a serious pet allergy. That's going to be a problem If I come and I perhaps leave some trace of cat, dog, rabbit or whatever in their home, because that would not be good cat, dog, rabbit or whatever in their home, because that would not be good. Okay, so, for example, lisa had shared with me that she's been working with an organiser who's been able to refrain from wearing perfumes and scented laundry detergents when she comes to Lisa's home Otherwise she wouldn't be able to have her there and it's one of these things that those of us that don't suffer from these sensitivities and allergies we don't even give it a thought, but it's something that you do need to take into account if you are someone with this problem.

Speaker 1: 6:02

Now, for a lot of parents, very often when children are little, they may be suffering from sensitivities and allergies and you may need to be aware of the fact that if you are doing your own organizing at home, that you need to be careful that you don't create problems for children that perhaps have an asthma or something, that you're not going to trigger an asthma attack by doing the decluttering and organizing. So what are the potential triggers that can be introduced by organizing your home? You might have perfumed products, so there could be, for example, air fresheners or scented candles or cleaning sprays. You need to be very aware of those and which ones you're not tolerant of. There'll be dust and potentially mold being stirred up during the handling and sorting of items, especially if you have got boxes of things that have been stored for a long time and you need to get them out and look through them and see what's in there. Or you've perhaps got a shelving area that hasn't been touched in ages, because when you start to move things, you're going to release a lot of dust into the air, pet hair and dander, which is brought in on clothings and belongings which I've already mentioned, I'm always very aware of and then sometimes organisers will want to clean areas as they go. Now I always have with me sort of wet wipes with a detergent on them that I can just wipe over surfaces, but I will always say to my clients is it okay if I use these? And sometimes they'll say no, I'd rather we went and got a cloth from the kitchen and just use water or use vinegar. So that's something that you need to be aware of what you are tolerant of when it comes to chemical-based cleaners. And then fragrance personal products. These could be hand lotions or even body lotions, hand sanitizers, perfumes that you're wearing. We need to be aware what we can and can't wear if we're coming to your home. If you have particular sensitivities and therefore the importance of communication and collaboration between you and your organizer is absolutely key if we're going to address potential triggers effectively Okay, now, if you are someone that has sensitivities or allergies and you are really wanting to declutter and organize, there are some things that you can do to minimize the issues for you.

Speaker 1: 8:42

One of the things you can do is take the boxes if you are sorting boxes outside to go through them so that you're not releasing all the dust particles into your home, and this is something that Lisa shared with me that this is what she's been doing. She's been taking boxes that are dusty outside onto a patio to sort through and make decisions there, so that she's not spreading the dust and breathing it in as the items go. Actually in the home, using white vinegar and natural cleaners without fragrances to clean is really important, and I would actually recommend that in most instances anyway and of course, it goes without saying it's very important to have good ventilation in the house when you're organizing, and I would recommend this even if you haven't got a sensitivity or an allergy. Having the windows open, having the air coming through, means that you're going to keep any dust particles that you create moving. You're not going to be standing around in them, and that's really, really important. And if you are starting to find it a bit too much, make sure you go outside and take breaks regularly if you need them. One other thing that you can do in order to support you with your decluttering and organizing is consider whether you would wear a mask for the time that the organizing is happening so that if there are dust or hair particles being released into the air, you're protected from those. You could even wear goggles, and I've had a client recently who wore white cotton gloves for the whole time that we were organizing because her hands are very sensitive and she wanted to make sure that she didn't get any dust particles going into the skin and causing her extra problems.

Speaker 1: 10:29

Now there is an emotional impact to trying to declutter and organize when you're also trying to deal with allergies or sensitivities, especially if they potentially can be life-threatening for you. So it's really important that you are honest with the people that you're working with about how you're feeling. There will be times when you're feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, and that's absolutely okay, and it's important that you set boundaries with the people that you're working with so that they know what's okay for you and that you feel very clearly that you can say I've had enough now or I need to take a break now if you're feeling that way. So communication is really key. There are lots of online communities that you can tap into who look specifically at decluttering and organizing when you have sensitivities and allergies, and if you are wanting to get an organizer or a KonMari consultant into your home, then make sure that you ask before they come if they understand what your needs are and that you make it clear to them what you can and can't do and what they can and can't wear when they come to your home. There are also lots of allergy friendly product recommendations out there which you can tap into in order to make your decluttering and organizing easier. One thing I would recommend is, if you are particularly dust sensitive, that you perhaps ask a friend or another family member if they will take items outside for you and dust them before the decluttering and organizing even begins, so that that layer of dust has been got rid of, and that's one thing then taken out of the equation Again. Make sure you've then ventilated really well so that the particles aren't staying in the home, and it will mean that you will feel much more comfortable about your decluttering and organizing.

Speaker 1: 12:32

Now, this has been a super short episode today, but such an important one. If you, like Lisa, have personal experience of decluttering and organizing with allergies and sensitivities, then I would love to hear from you. You can connect with me really well on Instagram at carothor, or, even better, you could come and join my Living Clutter Free Forever podcast Facebook group, where we're going to be discussing this episode in much more detail and sharing ideas about it. The link to join that is in the show notes. So I hope you found this really useful. Next time, it's episode 100, which just blows my mind, so I am really excited to have you join me for that.

Speaker 1: 13:27

Thank you for giving up your time to listen today. I really appreciate it and, as I said, if you know someone who has allergies or sensitivities, then please send them the link to this episode so that they can hear some of my suggestions. These are not things that should be holding us back from decluttering and organizing our home. There are workarounds Okay until next time. Our workarounds Okay until next time. If you've enjoyed this episode, please send the link to a friend you know would appreciate it, subscribe and leave a review. I look forward to bringing you more organizing tips next time, but if you can't wait until then, you can go to my website or find me on Instagram, at carothor, or on facebook at carolineorganizer. Thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter free ever after.