“Empty tool waist-apron (or regular apron folded down) for when you find valuable small items/money so you have a place to put them without leaving the task at hand.”
”Chair(s) to sit on, when you need a break and don’t have anywhere to sit.
“For something to listen to, bring a radio/cd player-hopefully, the electricity, is still turned on, bring batteries as well.”
”What I think should be a standard for what you bring /you do before:
3M 6×00 masks – SWSS (Sexy White Sperm Suits) – Kevlar gloves with or without an over glove(non-latex rubber to prevent stains) –Heavy shoes(steel toed) – Pre-de-hoarding tetanus shots “
Keeping track of time…
“My sister and I bring an oven timer. It seems to really keep us on task. When we are on the timer, we don’t get sidetracked with pictures and items found in the hoard. It also seems easier to work in a certain area and then when the timer goes off, switch to a different area if you need to. We schedule breaks this way too. Hope this helps!”
Nourish your body with good foods; you’ll need your strength!
“Drink plenty of water while you are working. Wear good sneakers or steel-toed boots. Wear lower back support. Put cream on your hands before you put on your gloves. Bring along face wipes to use periodically throughout the day. Make a list of your goals in the morning and when taking breaks, make sure that is the path you are on and aren’t getting sidetracked. Be good to yourself—you deserve it while doing a job like this.”
“When we cleaned out my grandmother’s house, the thing we didn’t think of was how dirty our clothes would get. Her house was in Arkansas and we lived in TX, so we were staying in a hotel. I had planned to just wear the same overalls during the trip but all of our clothing was so dirty we wound up buying the cheapest sweat suits ever ($11) at Wal-Mart and then threw them away when we were finished. I might even recommend the disposable painter coveralls.”
“Also, something to cover your hair like a bandana or hat. Cobwebs, etc. fall as you clean. We also had a regular and appliance dolly. “
”When you start, try to designate a ‘set-down’ spot for things like respirator masks, gloves, etc. so the important things you actually NEED every minute won’t get lost. If you don’t designate a spot, you’ll set these things down, step outside for fresh air, or grab lunch, and when you get back the chaos will overwhelm you and you will have NO IDEA where the things are. A hoard house can be like quicksand, just swallowing these things up. Believe me. We actually LOST a respirator mask completely in the last day of sleep deprived work. Anything you REALLY can’t lose (e.g., I had a page of important phone numbers, like the dumpster company) don’t even bother bringing in the house; just leave it in your car. If you’re really plowing through the stuff, the piles SHOULD be shifting pretty fast and that guarantees you’ll lose stuff.”