Leave It Better Than You Found It
I’m a recovering clean freak. I remember hearing at a very young age that “the last pig in the pen made the mess.” As I’m commonly the last “pig” on a vessel when the work is done, I do my best to leave my work area looking better than the condition I found it in. Sure, I do this on my own time, but the 5 to 10 minutes I spend tidying up the place pays dividends when its time for the owner to inspect the electronic installation or repairs.
One major level of detail that I’ve found is helpful for the owner is to guarantee that no by-product of my installation, such as wire ends and cut tie wraps, has any chance of ending up clogging the bilge. I wear the standard military issue shorts or pants and pack the right cargo pocket to overflowing with bits and pieces of trash. If my eyes land on trash left by someone else, it belongs to me now. I’ve heard horror stories of small pieces of plastic sinking a large boat.
A minor detail that goes a long way is my effort to never lay tools on the deck without something like a paper towel or rag underneath. If I’m working with a mechanic, I strongly urge them to follow this practice too. It’s especially common for a fiberglass deck to look like the oil filter exploded in the aftermath of engine work. When it comes to unstained teak, grease and oil have no home there.
Sure, I have to be careful to not look a little like Monk in my routines, but I love to exceed my customer’s expectations.
Do you have any experiences with technicians leaving a place in ruins when they’re done?
