The Hidden Dangers of Dust & Allergens

We were working in the basement furnace/storage room with two sisters who were merging their homes, and that of their mother’s, into one house. We had completed the upstairs downsizing and organizing of their property. Now we were tackling the daunting task of downsizing (more like eliminating) years of paper, books and stuff that had been stored in Sister #1’s storage room for years.

They had a great vision for the room. Open up the space. Build a large storage unit for their mother’s artwork (which was stunning, by the way) and keep only the items they loved and used.

As you can see in the photo, this room had many boxes that needed to be sorted. So, the process was to start by taking one box out at a time and going through it to downsize (eliminate) what they had not used in years.

The progress was good. They worked well and encouraged each other through the process.

But there was something really bad that was about to happen and I didn’t plan on it.

There was a box on the top shelf near the ceiling. I knew I could get to the box, take it down and pass it on to the sisters to go through.

As I pulled the box down, an avalanche of white powder came crashing down onto my face. Both of my hands were around the box and covering my nose and mouth was impossible.

I began to cough as I put the box down. I was covered in dust and what appeared to be gyproc dust that had been sitting on this box for many years.

We didn’t know it was there and I was really sorry that I didn’t prepare in advance for something like this to happen.

It was hard for me to breathe. I had inhaled a considerable amount of dust and whatever else was in the dust from years of stagnation. My body knew to try to cough it out and that is what I found myself doing… for weeks afterwards.

Through the years of working with my clients at Moving Forward Matters, my home transition business, I learned the hard way to care the inside of my body.

Sure I cared for the outside of my body, lifting carefully, wearing gloves when I felt I needed to protect my hands, wearing comfortable shoes and clothing.

But I didn’t think of the impact of what I was inhaling and what was going through my skin in the early part of my home transition career.

Now I know. And my team does too. There are precautions to take because what lurks in the recesses of our stuff, of our junk, is toxic.

In this week’s video blog, I took you to Home Depot to shop for some protective must-haves before you start your downsizing, decluttering or organizing project.

I recommended:

1. Masks
2. Gloves
3. Protective eyewear (which didn’t make the final edit of the video but is just as important to have)

But what if you don’t wear protective gear?

1. Inflammation of the inner linings of the trachea and lungs can occur. You will feel a burning and tightness in your chest.
2. Headaches, joint pain,and soreness. You will feel achy in your joints because of the toxicity of the particles that you inhaled or absorbed through your skin. Your body will try to eliminate as much as it can but soreness and stiffness can occur.
3. Sinus headaches and pain. Particles that reach the sinuses will stay lodged until the body excretes or expels them. If you feel a headache coming on or your sinuses become congested or painful, you’ve gone too long without a mask.
4. Eye irritation. As the particles begin to float in the air, your eyes are subject to their toxicity. Wearing protective eyewear will reduce or prevent particles from entering your eyes.

If you are downsizing, decluttering or organizing a room and you have someone who has respiratory issues, it’s best to keep them out of the area until you have completely cleaned the area once you are done.

A note about clothing: once you are done your project, I recommend that you remove your clothes in one area and launder them. Do not continue to wear them in other areas of your home that are clean. Remove your clothing, shower and wash your hair as particles have settled on your head during the process.

NOTE: The above is noted as precautions. Not all projects have extreme dust or toxic particles. If items have been stored for more than a year and you can visibly see a layer of dust on the top of the items, protect yourself. If items have been subject to gyproc or saw dust, wear a mask.

Our team at Moving Forward Matters is available should you need assistance working through your items. We’ll bring what we need to help you and we’ll do the dirty work for you too.

Should you have items that are ready to go to charity, the recyclers and the waste site, our team at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? can assist. You can contact us online at www.1800GOTJUNK.com or by calling 1-800-468-5865.

Remember to protect yourself when you are downsizing, organizing or decluttering your home or office. Do not take a chance! Wear the protective must-haves to ensure you are taking proper care of yourself.

Need help? Have questions? Contact me. I’m here to help!