Hit 25 years in the trade and the number that surprised me was 14 shop towels a week

People always talk about years served or jobs finished, but last week I counted dirty rags going into the laundry bin and it was 14. Not a huge number, but it hit me that every single one came from wiping down miters, cleaning glue squeeze-out, or drying off a plane blade before it rusted. The smaller stuff is what actually builds a career, not the big cabinet installs. I see guys my age bragging about square footage and I just think about all the little habits nobody notices. That count made me realize I've spent more time on maintenance than on the impressive work itself. Maybe that's why I still have all my fingers and my tools still fit right. Anyone else ever track how many rags or bits they go through in a week and get surprised by what it says about their process?

2 comments

2 Comments

grace_bailey21d ago

Just hit 5k rags myself over 25 years and honestly the glue squeeze-out ones are the ones I relate to most. I started buying the blue shop towels in bulk and cutting them in half for small wipe-downs, saves money and I feel less bad tossing them. The real kicker for me was realizing I go through maybe 3 times as many rags on jobs where I'm doing trim work versus big flat panel stuff. Nobody clocks that stuff when they're bragging about footage, but it's the truth. The maintenance habits are what keep your body and your tools working past 50, so I'd say that count is something to be proud of, not ashamed.

kaid5920d ago

The blue ones are that, but honestly the half-cut trick is the real pro move.