Favorite DIY Safety Gear

This is my must have DIY Safety Gear. Before we start digging into tutorials and projects, we need to make sure we’re set up to protect our beautiful selves from the potential hazards that can happen when working with Power Tools.

DIY Safety Gear Favorites

I made a video to cover all this but couldn’t work all the goshderned electronic contraptions to get it edited so we’re going old school…pictures and subtitles. Hi guys. I’m going to show you all my GLAMOROUS safety gear today because safety is absolutely the most important preparation for any project you might want to tackle. Period!

It only takes a second to put on your gear! It takes less that a second for a tragic accident to change your life forever! So, work smart, take a second to protect yourself.

First up. I always pull my hair back. Keep’s it out of my eyes and away from any moving parts…

Glasses and Goggles

Why safety Glasses/Goggles? They help keep flying objects like ricocheting nails (I’ve had it happen) from taking out your eye. And why Safety glasses/goggles as apposed to regular glasses/sunglasses? They are made for the job! (Shatter factor.)

I have several pairs of traditional safety glasses laying around the house and garage. I have a hard time keeping track of things.

These hang around my neck so I can take them off for a second without losing track of them. Handy!

But, my favorite and go-to pair of eye protection is this pair of Dewalt DPG82-11C Concealer Clear Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Goggle

I like these because they don’t fog up when I’m wearing them with a mask!

And because they have this rubbery stuff all the way around them so they kind of seal out the dust. This is especially helpful when doing anything with drywall. That dust gets everywhere!

And, also because they fit over my regular glasses that I wear sporadically. Mainly when it’s dark or I watch TV but sometimes I forget they are on…

Masks

I try to ALWAYS wear a mask when I’m cutting, sanding or using harsh solvents or oil based paints.Especially when what I’m cutting or sanding is MDF, particle board or Melamine! Wood is wood. Not that you want to breathe sawdust of any kind. I for one, really don’t want to breath fine particulates made up of compressed sawdust and GLUE. And when cutting Melamine, you’ve got sawdust, glue and plastic. That’s a lot of chemical and non-natural particulates (dust) filling the air.p.s. This is my own explanation and opinion. It’s not a scientific, medical, manufacturer or any other kind of professional statement.

I usually wear a 3M 8511 Particulate Sanding Respirator N95 with Valve, 10-Pack when I’m sanding or cutting. They have a ventilation valve that helps prevent fogging up your glasses and keeps your face from getting too hot and sweaty.

I just ordered these 3M R9211-10 N95 Cool-Flow Particulate Sanding Respirator, 10-Pack and I’m excited to try them out because when it’s hot in the summer, I still sweat under my mask. It’s so gross!

Then I’ve got my 3M R6211 Low-Maintenance Half-Mask Organic Vapor, P95 Respirator Assembly, Medium for when I paint with oil based paints or clean up with solvents. You can replace the filters when they need it. And you know they need it when you can smell the chemical with the mask on. (I think.)

I sometimes wear it when cutting or routing too. (If I can’t find anything else.) It comes with some particulate filters that you put in this plastic cover that snap on over the organic vapor filter. (But I can’t find my filters to show you.)

It’s like an extra 5 pounds on my head when I use this mask with my goggles and earmuffs!

So I usually wear the smaller, lighter masks.

Protect your Hearing!

Did I say something about earmuffs? I can’t hear anything!

I do have a couple pairs of rubbery earbuds somewhere but I can’t find them. These are the ones I use!

Peltor H10A Optime 105 Over-the-Head EarmuffI like these because they block out a lot of sound (29 dB if you want specifics), they fit over my glasses/goggles and mask straps and they’re comfortable.

Also, because of my propensity to set stuff down and forget where I put them…for convenient storage, I just put them around my waist or my leg while I’m not using them!

Yeah baby!

Back Support

Remember, lift with your legs! And don’t bend at the waist and hold your weight with your lower back muscles for long periods of time. Learn from my mistake. Unless you actually WANT to use a grannie walker for a couple weeks!

Yes, I honestly do wear this… sometimes. Not all the time! When my back is already sore and I need to work, I put this little beauty on and wear it like I mean it!

I actually bought mine from Harbor Freight Tools for about $12 but I found some on Amazon that don’t have all the bright orange! Mine is a medium. ProFlex 1650 Economy Elastic Back Support Belt, Black, Medium

Gloves

Gloves may not be considered “safety gear” because cuts and splinters aren’t going to change your life. But I like to prevent them whenever possible. I like to use carpenter gloves when I’m cutting, nailing, framing, building cabinets…most jobs where you want some protection but need to be able to dig a nail out of a bin or hold a screw while you drive it into your project.

It’s about time I got new pair too. I’m getting these. Youngstown Glove 03-3110-80-M Carpenter Plus Performance Glove Medium, Gray in medium, or small Youngstown Glove 03-3110-80-S Carpenter Plus Performance Glove Small, Gray

And that’s about it. This is me when I go out to my “workshop” (which is just my garage and happens to face the street so everyone can see me in all my glory when they walk by with their strollers).

But I’m not one to put fashion or “image” in front of my safety. It’s not worth taking a chance on living the rest of my life minus an eye (or a few fingers for that matter) or having to turn the volume up so loud on the TV that everyone else in the room has to plug their ears!

Know what I mean?

Did I miss anything? Do you have any favorite safety gear that I didn’t cover? I’d love to hear about it!

35 Comments

Booyah's Momma says:

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O.M.G., Sandra.This is the funniest tutorial I have ever seen.The come-hither picture of you in the goggles and vest almost made me pee my pants. That Wes is a lucky man.
Tanja @ Postmodern Hostess says:

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Maybe if I get big sealing goggles like those, I won't accidentally wear my safety glasses on top of my head when I leave the house — I do this ALL the time, and my husband has a good laugh. But I also leave the house in paint-covered clothing, so clearly it's not that big a deal to me. :-)Thanks for the rec on the non-fogging goggles, the cooler ventilating masks (my least favorite though still necessary safety device), and the carpenters gloves. They have gone straight onto my wish list.
Katy says:

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gloves are so that you don't get splinters in your hands, and they protect you from scraping all the skin off your knuckles. They are actually really important, once you start building with lumber a lot you will want some. 🙂
Lucy's Photography says:

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Oh Sandra, you're too cute! Great tutorial. You're a sure thing! AND a safety girl! 😉
Katie says:

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Girl you take safety to a whole new level! 🙂 Great job! I got the big ol' mask for Christmas. I was getting headaches whenever a painted due to painting so much this past summer. But I have a question. I am a slow learner…but what are the gloves for? Since the fingers are out then they don't prevent you from cutting them off..right?