A guest post by – Nurchamiel – a regular reader and commenter

A clean, tidy and declutter house is very important for asthmatics and people who suffers from hay fever. Unfortunately, sometimes clutter enters our home and it is time to clean it up. I would like to give some tips about decluttering as an allergy sufferer. To some, the tips may sound a bit extreme, but I have noticed that if I follow these tips, my outbreaks are less severe and less frequent than if I don’t.

• If you have an extreme sensitivity to dust and dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) hire a professional or declutter a little at a time to reduce exposure. Get help with your closet because clothing items are notorious for attracting dust and dust mites. Make sure that when you have enlisted professional help that you don’t go into the room, while the dust is being disturbed. Alternatively, there are dust masks available at  local DIY-shops if you would prefer to be involved.
• Choose a day for decluttering. Cool days, when it freezes or when it has rained are the best. The concentration of pollen in the air is as low as possible.
• Dust and vacuum before decluttering, to get the dust bunnies before more dust is added so the build up will be minimal. If possible, open the windows and close the air-conditioning off as the air-conditioning moves the dust around.
• Start with decluttering. Tackle one closet, shelve or other area. As usual, empty the area and immediately dust with a moist cloth, as it will trap the dust rather than spread it around. Dust moisture sensitive items with a dry cloth (Microfibre is best) to prevent damage and return to it’s place if keeping.
• During decluttering, ask yourself two questions ~ Do I want to pack/unpack you during moving?” also “Am I allergic to you?” If you are allergic to it, don’t keep it, give it away to somebody else (or charity, etc.) who isn’t allergic to it. Clothing and plush toys but also body lotions and perfumes will likely be the kinds of items that cause allergy issues.
• Also, check your medication to make sure nothing is out of date and that you have what you need on hand before starting your declutter task. Take any out of date items back to the pharmacy, they know how to correctly dispose of them so that they don’t end up in landfill or in the hands of someone they shouldn’t.
• When you are done, immediately relocate the items that you are decluttering to their new homes (Thrift shop, donation bin, recycling, trash bin etc). If you are not able to do so, put them in a shed or a garage so that the dust still in the clutter (for instance, plush toys) is no longer polluting your living space and can no longer cause you allergic reactions.
• Once the clutter is removed thoroughly vacuum the area as most of the dust that was disturbed has now settled on the floor. It would probably be wise to vacuum any upholstered furniture, launder  bed coverings and curtaining in the space at this time.

If you notice that after a few minutes of decluttering, that your body can’t take it any longer (allergic reactions), stop immediately and vacuum (yes, I love to vacuum, :P), wait a week, and try it then. If it doesn’t stop, hire a professional declutterer.

If you have a (young) child with allergies, clean up their area yourself, without your child being there. Do the decluttering for them but let the child decide afterwards what he doesn’t want to keep (make sure you have removed most dust from the decluttered items before the child sorts through them). Once the task is complete allow the child to return to the decluttered room for about ten minutes. If the child shows any sign of an allergic reaction, let them sleep somewhere else for the night and vacuum again the day after, when the dust has settled on the floor. Once again it would probably be wise to also launder the bed cover and curtaining at this time.

I hope this might be useful for other people with allergies. These tips might be time consuming, but it works for me.

Today’s Declutter Item

Sometime the generic version of things don’t work as good as the real one. This remote control never did work well so Liam has decided to declutter it.

I am grateful from anything that brings me joy. Below are five things that gave me joy today.

• The start of a new day – Yesterday really went to hell in a handbasket so it is great to wake up today and start afresh.
• The speed with which my new computer processes things – Yes I finally submitted to temptation and bought a new computer. Although the transition hasn’t gone as smoothly as it could but I am loving the fact that everything happens so much quicker.
• Getting another eBay auction item posted on its way.
• Being told I would be able to have the car tomorrow – This has been a rare event lately as the motorbikes are still at the mechanics. Why motorcycle mechanics take so long to fix anything I don’t know.
• The smell in the air when rain is on its way – I know it is just dust stirred up but I love it anyway.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.