Ninth Blog Post: From Bare Bones to Warmhearted Dreams: A Couple's Journey Through Self-Employment and the Insulation Industry
Oh, friends, I know you’ve been chomping at the bit for this week’s topic in my History Series: Prep and Cleanup! Thank you for hanging out with me as we look back at bits and pieces of Luyk’s and my small-business adventures. Cleanup—what an adventure, right?
Some jobs make prep and cleanup a breeze; others… not so much. Of course, I remember the tough ones most—don’t we all? Prepping barns, sheds, or shops? Easy peasy. Clean up behind the previous trade if needed (electricians I might be calling you out on this one, lol!), cover the floors with paper or heavy plastic, fitted plastic for the windows, and cleanup is straightforward. Wide-open spaces give so much control over the spray that cleanup usually isn’t too bad.
But then, there are houses. Oh, and the attics! Between carefully prepping to avoid tracking dirt and foam bits through the house, covering piles of boxes and loose odd shaped personal belongings (then moving and re-covering them), and navigating old, slanted attic walls with bump-outs and crazy corners, it’s a LOT. Spray foam jobs in those tight, tricky spaces can make cleanup an extra challenge. Since we did not have the ISO Shredder at that time, my trusty tools for tackling tough cleanup were a horse brush and putty knife. Luyk’s expertise as a sprayer kept excessive scraping to a minimum, but for weird areas as described above, these tools were my choice. Speaking of challenging foam jobs, for a number of years, we also foamed shipping containers for a company—flush-filled every time. Talk about a mess! We spent many long evenings cleaning up after those jobs.
Prep and Cleanup Tips
As promised, here are some tricks that helped us speed things up:
· Rolled Rosin Paper: Use it to cover floors instead of scraping them later. Roll it out, tape the seams, and scrunch it into a garbage bag when done. Voilà! I preferred it to dealing with plastic, it seemed less slippery/easier to get to the edges of the room, easier to cut it around odd shapes or doorways.
· Tape on Studs: On some jobs, I taped studs before he sprayed, then simply peeled the tape off after foaming—no scraping required! This worked great on fresh, new studs but not so well on old, brittle attic wood or barns. Sometimes, the foam’s heat would fuse the tape to the wood—those were rough days.
· A Strong Helper to wield the heavier power tools: On jobs that we knew ahead were going to take use of the very heavy power tools (you probably know the ones I’m talking about) because we needed the speed/the schedule was too full for me and my hand tools; we would hire an extra set of hands that could shoulder that burden while Luyk continued to spray.
· Carpet Roll Plastic: It takes some getting used to but nothing beats it for stairs and walkways to and from the job area through a finished home. I would use the sticky side of it, when done, by balling up a section and using it to pat/pick up any foam debris. Double Duty out of one product!
Enter the ISO Shredder
Through our experiences training new sprayers (and dealing with their inevitable cleanup struggles) and the odd jobs as described above, we realized the need for a smaller, more agile tool. Enter the ISO Shredder—our ultimate cleanup helper!
Lightweight and comfortable to use with two hands, it’s quick, efficient, and doesn’t require force thanks to its precise teeth. It’s a huge help that cuts closed cell (and open as well) cleanup time in half—especially when filling window and door headers full of insulation, near full-filling wall cavities where there are just “high spots” to hit/not the entire cavity, and ceiling scraping work which is tiresome for hours of arm work. These are applications we often do here in our area, I’m sure there are more applications for those in different regions as well!
Why Prep and Cleanup Matter
Prep and cleanup are essential to this business. Leaving a job site ready for the next trade or a cleaned-up space for homeowners reflects our passion for the craft and commitment to excellent customer service. It’s always worth the extra effort and many times is commented on positively by those who anticipated a typical site mess after we leave!
Your Turn to Share
What is your self-employment or small business story? Have you faced similar challenges? How do you keep prep and cleanup interesting? Share your thoughts in the comments below—I’d love to hear from you!
