Trying to clean, or really, attempt any household chores when the threat of subluxations looms requires some creativity and a lot of patience. I’m a big fan of giving yourself grace about the whole clean house thing, but one of my big sensory overload triggers is clutter…AuDHD and Ehlers-Danlos are NOT friends. For me, managing sensory triggers as an autistic person and limitations on physical activity from my EDS (and MCAS…and POTS) has meant being very careful with the tools/chemicals used to keep my house clean and finding ways to limit the physical exertion required to do the cleaning myself. Yes, myself, because I am also too picky to let my spouse take over this domain. If you, like me, also cannot handle the mess even though you accept that a messy house is not a moral flaw or even a bad thing (just a thing, folks), you might find my most recent discovery useful.
(Do you prefer videos over writing? Prefer reading short pieces? You can also find the video explanations on YouTube and TikTok. Continue reading below, or view the short-read!)
I still spray down my groceries (yes, COVID-19 is airborne, yes we still prevent fomite transmission for other things, and yes, COVID-19 can also be transmitted via fomites even though it is much MUCH less common than airborne transmission). I bought a Force of Nature machine to make Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) solution, which is antimicrobial but also non-toxic (humans AND pets). It works extremely well, it doesn’t really have a smell (so also does not set off my mast cells), and it can be used on raw fruits and veggies. Also doesn’t make my skin react, which is huge considering most other cleaning supplies are major mast cell triggers for me with touch, not just smell.
The one downside is the spray bottle that comes with the Force of Nature machine–it absolutely soaks paper-based packaging, so…most packaging. I decided to buy a misting bottle* to see if it would help with the soaking. The original spray bottle is also tough on my finger joints so I would get about three sprays before having to take a break or risk subluxing. This wasn’t actually on my mind when I bought the misting bottle. I was surprised and ecstatic to realize it doesn’t make my finger joints pop out of place, in addition to not soaking all of our cereal boxes to a weird soggy mess.
*I linked the misting bottle I bought on Amazon, because that was most accessible to me, but I don’t think the success is specific to THIS misting bottle and another one should work fine.
Watch the testimonial instead:
A shorter version of the testimonial: