Safety Considerations for the Professional Organizer and the Client
| March 10, 2026 |
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Who thought organizing could be hazardous? I certainly didn’t. Over the years of working with clients, I have experienced a few unsafe situations and want to share some strategies to keep you and your clients safe when decluttering and organizing.
Safety Points for the Professional Organizer
The safety points below are from Debbie Stanley’s book titled Let Me Show You the Basement. The title is based on an experience that she had with a client who she names Mr. Creepy.
- Take a self-defense class to prepare you for the event of a personal attack.
- Use a separate phone number for your business.
- Have a post office box for your business address. There’s no reason why your clients should be able to have access to you personally by phone or physical address.
- Familiarize yourself with the client’s location.
- Have your cell phone turned on, and on your body, not in your work bag.
- Be able to leave your work bag and purse. Whatever you have in your bag or your purse, you need to be okay to leave behind should you need to. Be sure your address is not on something you might leave behind.
- Wear clothing and close-toed shoes that you can quickly run in should you need to make a hasty retreat.
- Always let someone know where you are. You can do this by sharing your calendar either online or leaving a paper copy at your home office. That’s particularly important for professional organizers who live alone. Should you go missing, it is going be very helpful if there is some type of a trail to start with, and having your calendar visible and accessible is one way to do that.
- Leave something by the entry door.
- Always walk behind your client and locate exits.
- Do not reveal too much personal information.
- Do not accept food or beverages from clients unless you know and trust them well.
- Carry dog treats to ward off aggressive domestic dogs.
- Do not wear excessive jewelry.
- Consider wearing your hair up if it is long.
- Keep your hands free and above your waist.
- Last, but most importantly, trust your instincts. If you have ever trusted your gut to be a barometer for dangerous situations, then that’s something that you should believe in interacting with clients as well. Gavin de Becker, who wrote the book The Gift of Fear, says, “Intuition is knowing without knowing why.” It’s that feeling, and if you get that feeling, then it might be best to say no to that particular client opportunity.
Safety Points for You and Your Client
- Know your and your client’s physical limitations when lifting, reaching, bending, and climbing stairs. Don’t exceed your limitations, no matter how hard someone pushes, and don’t push your client to exceed theirs.
- Eat something and take any medications you need before a client session and instruct your client to do the same. Clients frequently ask me, “What should I do to prepare?” One of the tasks I have clients do to prepare is to eat something and take their medications before our session.
- Every forty-five minutes to an hour, take a break by getting up and stretching. Get something to drink and get some fresh air, and have your client do the same.
- Have a first aid kit in your work bag and onsite with you. If you have any type of medical condition that requires you to have access to medications, have those in your first aid kit.
- Keep the area clear of tripping hazards. I cannot say this enough. I have seen clients trip, and I have tripped. It is so easy to do in the organizing process because things are in motion constantly.
- Wear protective clothing. I do not suggest that you show up at a client session all suited up in a hazmat suit when the environment doesn’t warrant that. You want to be respectful. If you are dust sensitive, simply inform your client you are going to wear a mask because you are sensitive to dust. And you might offer them a dust mask as well.
Want to talk to colleagues about safety issues – or anything else?
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Speaking of Personal Protective Gear
The following are suggested protective gear for working with clients:
- Disposable shoe covers. In case you do need to stomp on a cockroach!
- A dust mask or higher grade, depending on the environment and the hazards that are presented
- A flashlight because sometimes you can’t see what is behind things, and a flashlight will illuminate those areas
- Gloves—latex gloves, as I mentioned. Also have heavier work gloves, such as garden gloves.
- Goggles—It can seem funny wearing goggles, but sometimes you get in environments where there is dust flying around that you don’t want to get in your eyes
- Hand sanitizer to help in any situation
- A hat, such as a baseball cap or something like that, for areas with cobwebs and spiders. When you are in a basement or attic area, you don’t know what’s creeping around above your head.
- Most situations that we work in do not warrant a hazmat suit, but sometimes having painter coveralls to slip on to protect your clothing is a good idea
- Insect repellent that is DEET-based
- Benadryl, if you might be allergic to insect bites
- An inhaler if you have asthma
What other safety strategies can you offer? Please post below.
Photo © Fesenko / depositphotos
Thank you for the reminder that safety must come first! Great suggestion to keep your cell phone on your body, not in your work bag, but I’d add to keep your keys with you too. I often just lock my house keys in the car and slip my car key into a pocket (or my bra if I don’t have a pocket!).
I also carry a personal alarm for consultations with male clients or situations that seem iffy. In addition, there are apps that will allow you to fake an incoming phone call to give you an excuse to leave.
However, these safety measures are in place in case you find yourself in a bad situation. The #1 tip you list is to trust your gut. Twice I put myself into slightly scary situations (luckily nothing bad happened) that I wouldn’t have gotten into if I had trusted my gut and said no.
Kate, Your suggestions are spot on! Can you share the apps that allow you to fake an incoming call? I would be very interested to have that on my phone. Thank you!
This is so important for everyone working with loved ones to clear out their space, but especially when professionals are working with clients. I have had dust allergies and never thought of wearing a mask. This was way before COVID. I only brought gloves. When I went home, I would take a shower right away. This helped me a lot.
Picking up things and installing things for many years, I ended up injuring myself many times, resulting in not being able to work for months.
COVID was terrible, no question, but we did take some good practices away from it.
This is a good list for me to review, even after all these years of being in business!
I laughed about the jewelry one. I have gotten onto this for practical reasons (only small earrings and my watch. Can’t risk getting anything caught on something and I don’t want to risk losing anything nice on the job.
I always have bandaids and sanitizer, but there are some thoughts on this list of things to have that I haven’t considered.Last year I received multiple pairs of garden gloves for Christmas and I was so happy because I tucked on pair into my work bag. They fit my small hands better than most work gloves, and I love having them on hand for basements and garages.
Anne has created an excellent resource for professional organizers, and just because you might not need all of this in your practice now, you never know when you might.
For example, I don’t work in dusty, cobwebby places. With very rare exceptions, I don’t work in garages, attics, and basements, and spend most of my time at desks or in clean, open spaces. But just as one should keep an inhaler if they asthma, as a diabetic, I always have not only First Aid supplies but diabetes-related support items. (When I used insulin, early on, I carried an extra insulin pen and a day’s worth of meds in case I got snowed/rained in somewhere.) I have stood up too fast and hit my head on slanted ceilings, cut myself, gotten splinters, etc., and having something for booboos is key.
Debbie Stanley’s advice is, of course, on-point! The vast majority of my clients are middle-aged or elderly women, and for all of my clients, I do extensive (45-90-minute phone consultations), so I get a sense of the vibe before I even set up an appointment. Other (newer) colleagues often worry about working with men, but I’ve always had a good sense of prospects before I agree to work with them.
The key is that any time I have skipped a step because the client breezed through it or continued a consultation by phone over onto email, that’s when things fall apart. I don’t carry dog treats, but I am usually very specific with clients that all dogs should be quarantined either outside or any a different room. The two times (in 25 years) I did not relay that were problematic. In the first case, I pulled into the driveway and two Doberman Pinschers ran out to the car and put their paws up on the roof of my vehicle such that I couldn’t get out. (I had to call the client on my cell phone to wrangle them.) One other time, when I arrived, the client opened her front door and five dogs rushed out and pushed me off the front steps.
I am a dog person but would never allow that type of behaviour! Especially if the person arriving is someone I was expecting and not a random stranger.
This is an excellent list from Anne (inspired by Deb Stanley). Safety for you and your clients is essential.
Giving some pre-thought into what could go wrong is helpful. That lets you prepare for the potentially challenging or dangerous situations.
In the 30 plus years I’ve been organizing, there have only been a few situations that have been an issue. And with each one, I revised my policies and procedures. So they were learning experiences.
Now that I’m organizing virtually, many of these hazards don’t apply. However, some do like making sure I’m well rested, am hydrating, and have eaten. I encourage my clients to do the self care, too, so they can make the most of our time together. And if I notice any hazards in their spaces, we’ll work on creating safe passages.