Home improvement couture: dos and don'ts

Over the past few days, I've come across two separate photographs of handywomen at or ready for work. One showed a woman drilling a board while wearing bracelets, a new and pretty pink and white outfit and no protective gear. The second showed a woman with open shirt and underwire bra enhanced cleavage, a large necklace, long hair flowing in the breeze and a pink tool belt.

I don't know who the first person is, maybe a regular person, maybe a model. But the second one is a seasoned, well-known carpenter, a beautiful woman who does wonderful things I do respect, like helping Habitat for Humanity. But, honey, those clothes!

OK, these were obviously photo ops (or shoots) and maybe the purpose was to make home improvement seem fun and accessible to women--which it is and I support that. But, really, who actually works like this? The pink tool belt is practical and fun. I have a similar one myself and love it. But what are some other dress options?

How about...

Things go to things. You don't wear your little black cocktail dress swimming. You do wear a swimsuit. Let's talk about that side of home improvement couture.

My typical get up includes baseball cap, dust mask, sometimes with the addition of safety glasses, e.g., when drilling or sawing, etc. I didn't always dress like this but, over time and after a couple of mishaps, I decided there was a reason for these things and it works for me. I know, a lot of professional carpenters don't wear all this stuff either, but have you noticed how many of them are coughing up dust all day?

So, here's a list of home improvement couture dos and don'ts I hold to:

1. Don't wear bracelets, necklaces, rings (other than wedding rings which you might not want to take off) while using power tools. Also, watch for loose, flapping clothes that could get caught in running tools.

2. Do wear protective glasses or goggles when using a drill, power saws or even hammering--or if you're around someone who is. If you've ever had a flying piece of broken nail, or any other piece of flying debris, hit you in the face, you know why.

3. Do wear a dust mask when sanding, drilling or sawing, especially plaster. You really don't need to be breathing sawdust or plaster dust into your lungs, do you? And when using paint strippers, stains and sealers, as well as spray paints, do wear a mask/respirator suitable for that purpose--which is not a dust mask. Save your lungs and brain cells too.

4. Do dress for the occasion. Remember my Advisory Number One? It applies to all aspects of renovation, whether you're doing the work or "just" living through it. Save the push-up bra for that little black dress. Wear comfortable clothing you can move around in and don't care about getting wrecked. Also, cover up. Your clothes are part of your protective gear and you don't want flying splinters caused by your or someone else's nailgun lodging in your overly-exposed cleavage. If you're a guy, you get the idea.

5. Do tie your hair back. If you have long hair, keep it out of your eyes and away from your work. I know a woman who sustained a serious head injury when her hair got caught in machinery she was operating while she and her partner were renovating their house. I put my hair in a pony tail and wear a baseball cap to keep my hair in place.

6. Do get a tool belt, pink if you like! Maybe this is part of #4, but I think it deserves its own plug. I didn't have one of these for YEARS but when I got one, I thought, "What have I been waiting for?!!!" All you need is one experience of NOT running up and down a ladder a bazillion times (because everything you need is in your handy tool belt) and you'll know why carpenters wear these things constantly--even if they don't wear shirts!

Resources:

The tool belt pictured above (which is also the one I have) is available from Girlgear Industries. This is a small business offering field-tested, professional-grade products for women.