Decluttering Untangled with Heather Tingle : How to declutter when you're overwhelmed, ADHD or Autistic

In this podcast, Heather will teach you what really works, and what doesn't, to successfully declutter your home - as when you're overwhelmed, ADHD or Autistic, it isn't just a case of hiring a skip and having a big sort out - it's not that easy! ​ Heather is an expert in working with families that live in chaos, and all the challenges that brings. She is Autistic and has ADHD so knows all about how neurodiversity links to clutter. As a naturally messy person herself, she can show you how to live in a clean, clutter free and organised home regardless of the issues you face. She thrives on creating strategies and systems that work for real families. Transforming your cluttered homes to calm, safe spaces can also improve your mental, physical and financial health, learn all about it in this podcast. Heather Tingle has been a member of The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers since 2016. She and her family have had hoarding tendencies, living in me

Decluttering Untangled with Heather Tingle : How to declutter when you're overwhelmed, ADHD or Autistic is a health podcast hosted by Heather Tingle, with 154 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Heather Tingle hosts Decluttering Untangled with Heather Tingle : How to declutter when you're overwhelmed, ADHD or Autistic, a health show with 154 episodes published.

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  Episode #154

  154 - What to do about clothes that don't fit

  Oct 2, 202613 minS1

  Send me a text message about this podcast Summary In this episode of Decluttering Untangled, Heather talks about the clothes that don't fit right now, and why packing them away in a separate box often isn't the answer. Whether it's the bag under the bed marked "one day" or the vacuum pack in the loft, out of sight can quickly become out of mind, especially for neurodivergent brains, and that box can end up holding a lot of quiet guilt along with the clothes. Heather shares a different approach: keep the favourites, the pieces you genuinely love, in with your current clothes, so they're there and ready when they fit again. Bodies change for all sorts of reasons, and a loved dress doesn't need to go just because it doesn't fit this month. She also looks at children's clothes, both the ones they're growing into and the ones they've outgrown, and how keeping the next size where you can see it means it actually gets worn. For the clothes that will never fit again but you adore, Heather talks through ways to keep them close, from repurposing them into cushions, quilts or memory bears, to a memory box, to simply giving them a spot in your wardrobe where they make you smile every day. The simple test is how a piece makes you feel when you see it. If it makes you happy, keep it and enjoy it. If it makes you sad, it might be time to let someone else love it. Plus, a DeclutterCon update: tickets close this Sunday (4th October 26) at 10pm and only a handful are left. Join us on Saturday 10th October 2026 at the Radisson Blu Sheffield, with tickets at decluttercon.co.uk. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Decluttering Clothes That Don't Fit 02:46 The Emotional Weight of Clothing and Body Changes 05:34 Keeping Favorites and Letting Go of the Rest 08:38 Creative Ways to Repurpose Cherished Clothing Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

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  Episode #153

  153 - Why Hasn't Anything I've Tried Worked? (It's Not Because You Don't Want It Enough)

  Sep 25, 202622 minS1

  Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Have you ever been told, or told yourself, that if you really wanted a tidier home you'd have done it by now? In this episode Heather gets into why that message is so untrue, and why wanting it badly is rarely the missing piece. Money, health, energy, the people you live with, inherited stuff and sheer volume all play their part, and so do systems that were built for someone else's brain. Sometimes, though, what keeps you stuck is more psychological than that. Heather talks about how every blitz that slid back and every borrowed system that never stuck quietly gets filed away as evidence that you can't do this. If you're neurodivergent and have spent years braced for criticism, it's no wonder your brain eventually asks why you're even bothering. She shares three stories she sees over and over with clients. The first is the quiet belief that you don't deserve a nice home, or that you'd never keep it nice anyway. The second is the feeling that there's no point until you move or the extension gets built. The third is the idea that nice homes just aren't who you are. That last one is personal. Heather opens up about growing up in doer uppers, envying friends with freshly plastered new builds, nearly writing to DIY SOS, and realising it was never the walls that made her home feel wrong. There's a lot here about perfectionism, and why you're allowed one lovely corner, one comfy nook or one finished drawer even when the rest of the room still needs work. Heather explains avoidance as self preservation: your brain protecting you from disappointment. What breaks the cycle is trusting yourself (or trusting her, if that feels like too much right now), with mindset and action working together. There's also an HSIO moment giving you permission to want and keep a nice home, whatever your family's homes looked like. This is the penultimate episode before DeclutterCon on 10th October at the Radisson Blu, Sheffield, UK. Tickets are on sale until Sunday 4th October, now with live stream tickets available if you can't be there in person. You'll find them at www.decluttercon.co.uk Timestamps 00:00 - Why decluttering failures are usually psychological, not proof of laziness 00:57 - Why “you don't want it enough” is a damaging myth 03:21 - Why self-help advice often misses the real problem 05:15 - Wanting it badly can become part of the overwhelm 06:14 - When the issue is systems, not mindset 06:43 - Why blitz decluttering works briefly and then falls apart 09:07 - The hidden belief that you do not deserve a nice home 10:31 - “It is temporary” and why waiting can last for years 13:49 - Perfectionism and the belief that a home must be fully finished to be worth loving 15:40 - Self-preservation, avoidance, and the cycle that keeps people stuck 19:07 - Why mindset and action both have to change together 19:37 - Heather Says It Is Okay: permission to want and keep a nice home 20:36 - Choosing one tiny change instead of copying someone else's system 21:59 - Final encouragement and reminder to be kind to yourself Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #150

  150- Is Tidying Actually Making Your Home Worse?

  Sep 4, 202616 minS1

  Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Is Your Tidying Actually Making Your Home Worse? We've all done it, shoved something into whatever drawer had space, told ourselves "away" counted as "organised," and called it a day. In this episode Heather digs into a pattern she sees in almost every client's home: drawers and cupboards with no real system, no zoning, just wherever things happened to end up. She walks through exactly how this spirals, the hunting, the giving up, the leaving things out "so I'll remember where it is," the piles that build on piles, the doom drawers and doom bags, and how it all ends with owning ten of the same item because you can never trust you'll find the original. She unpacks why this is so exhausting on a deeper level too. Your working memory was never built to hold onto "which of six random drawers has the batteries in it today," and it's not laziness when things get left out, it's a system asking your brain to do a job it can't do. The fix is zoning before organising: deciding where something actually lives based on how you use it, then trusting that home enough to put things back there every time. Heather also shares one of her favourite parts of a declutter session: the moment a client finds something they'd forgotten they even owned, tucked away in a drawer that never had a proper place before. Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Why tidiness isn't enough 02:13 The problem with random drawers and cupboards 04:47 The cycle of clutter and why it happens 06:28 The broken windows theory of clutter 09:53 Why your brain can't remember everything 11:58 The importance of zoning and categorisation 12:51 How trusting your system creates lasting order 13:17 The joy of rediscovering forgotten items Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #149

  149 - What to Do If You Feel Like You'll Never Get Decluttered and Organised

  Aug 28, 202613 minS1

  Send me a text message about this podcast Summary Ever hit the point in decluttering where it feels like nothing's changing, no matter how much work you've put in? In this episode Heather talks about the invisible wall so many people hit partway through their decluttering journey. The point where progress feels invisible and it's easy to think "what's the point, nothing's ever going to change." Heather breaks down why this happens: shrinking dopamine rewards as you get used to letting go of more, the shift away from delayed gratification, working by area instead of by category (which makes progress harder to see), fatigue from treating decluttering as a marathon rather than a sprint, and still putting things down rather than putting them away. She also shares the broken windows theory and how it applies both to relapsing into clutter and to the moment things finally click, plus her own snowball-up-the-hill metaphor for where you might be in the process right now. If you're feeling demoralised and like you'll never get there: this one's for you. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the decluttering wall and emotional challenges 02:20 How initial decluttering efforts feel more rewarding 05:03 The 'click point' and reaching decluttering milestones 06:22 Decluttering as a slow marathon, not a sprint 07:16 The challenge of putting things away consistently 08:10 The benefits of proper organization and how mess becomes easier to manage 09:36 Dealing with frustration when things are out of place 10:33 Taking breaks and managing capacity during decluttering 11:28 Encouragement to keep pushing and recognising progress 11:55 Final motivation: you're making progress and not alone Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #148

  148 - The Amazing Storage Solution We Never Think About!

  Aug 21, 202617 minS1

  Send me a text message about this podcast Summary 147 episodes in, and Heather realises she's never actually done a full episode on one of her favourite neurodivergent-friendly storage solutions: hooks. In this episode she talks through why hooks work so well for messy brains, busy lives, and anyone who forgets things exist the second they're out of sight. Starting with the fruit-bowl-turned-doom-pile most of us have by the front door, and a client's tiny porch that had become a genuine shoe-related fire hazard. From there, Heather walks room by room through where hooks quietly solve problems that baskets and boxes don't: the entryway, the kitchen, and all the small stuff that "doesn't really have a home" : TV remotes, towels, clothes brushes, and the chair-pile of not-quite-dirty clothes. What you'll walk away with Why hooks work so well for ADHD brains and anyone who struggles with "out of sight, out of mind" The difference between a container that helps and a container that quietly becomes a doom pile How a client's small porch and a big shoe problem got solved with hooks instead of baskets Why giving something a finite number of hooks is more useful than it sounds (especially with kids' shoes) A room-by-room walkthrough: entryway, kitchen, and the "floating" stuff that never has a proper home The one question to ask yourself about any storage solution: can I put this away easily? Who this episode is for Anyone with a spot in their home that keeps quietly filling up no matter how many pretty containers they buy for it — especially if you're ADHD, have a busy household, or just tend to forget things exist the moment they're out of sight. Timestamps 00:00 - Why hooks are the storage solution Heather had not talked about yet 00:30 - Why open containers become doom piles for ADHD and messy brains 01:00 - The fruit bowl problem and why hallway catchalls fail 02:29 - When containers turn into extra dumping grounds 03:27 - Why hooks work: visible, finite, and instant 03:56 - Preparing items so they can actually hang on hooks 05:22 - How visible storage stops losing, rebuying, and tripping over items 06:46 - Why floor space and safety improve with hook systems 07:15 - A tiny porch, too many shoes, and why baskets failed 08:40 - Replacing shoe baskets with wall hooks in pairs 09:38 - Finite wall space as a built-in boundary for growing children’s shoes 10:30 - Entryway items that work well on hooks 11:58 - Hooks in the hallway and choosing styles that fit your home 12:27 - Kitchen tools, pans, and utensils on hooks and racks 13:24 - Using a bulldog clip on a hook for receipts and paper piles 14:22 - Solving the problem of items that “float” around the house 14:46 - Anchoring the TV remote near the sofa 15:15 - Towels, colour coding, and preventing damp piles 15:43 - Clothes brushes, torches, and worn clothes that need a temporary home 16:37 - The final test: can you put it away easily? Affiliate links to great hooks: Dog tail hooks Pet station Heavy duty hook Shower glass door hooks Over door hooks Remote control bungee Phone lanyard Support the show If you'd like to say 'Thank you', by buying me a virtual coffee (it'll actually buy me a cup of tea!), you can do so HERE. It will mean I can afford to continue to give help for free and continue with this podcast. Get started with my Zoning and Getting Started Workshop , everything you need to know on how to get started and have the best success when decluttering. Join my free Declutter Community for real support, tips and advice from Heather and other Untanglers that are just like you! Follow me on Facebook Buy my Declutter Your Home Planner from Amazon to start to declutter your home yourself! (affiliate link) Grab my current freebies to support a cleaner, tidier home. Follow me on instagram Feel free to email me: help@untangledbytingle.com Please note, I may not be able to reply, but do read all emails to me and appreciate them massively.

  ListenShow Notes

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