How To Dress Appropriately If You Are Going To A Salvage Yard

Salvage yards have a lot of auto parts and fixable cars that you can buy cheaply. That is why many people visit a salvage yard. However, if you have never been to a salvage yard and you are about to visit one to look for car parts or buy a used, fixer-upper car for cheap, you probably should not go in high heels or a business suit. Given the nature of these businesses, you are likely to walk away quite dirty and maybe a little greasy, too. Here is how to dress appropriately when you are going "salvage-diving."

Wear Your Worst Pair of Jeans and a Plain T-shirt

If you are going to be digging around the salvage yard for car parts for a car you already have, or to help a friend fix his/her car, wear your worst pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. You are going to get very dirty, very fast. If you wipe your hands off on your clothes, you want to be sure that you are not messing up your best jeans and favorite shirt. Disposable clothing is best. 

If you are going to the salvage yard to buy a fixer upper car, be prepared for dirty car seats, dirty steering wheels, and dirty dashboards. Cars and trucks do not come to a salvage yard to be washed! If you do not like getting your hands and clothes dirty, wear something you do not mind getting dirty, plus a pair of gloves. Another idea is to wear painter's coveralls, which will protect whatever you are wearing while you drive the fixer-upper vehicle off the salvage lot.

Make Sure Your Arms and Legs Are Protected

Salvage yards are filled with sharp bits of metal, some of which poke out of junk piles and others which are crunched on the side panels of cars. For that reason, you want to be sure that your arms and legs are effectively protected. Do not go to a salvage yard with bare arms and wearing shorts. You will regret it. Additionally, if it is a little chilly outside when you visit, wear something like a hoodie to stay warm and protect your arms from getting scratched.

Wear Eye and Head Protection

Salvage yards are typically very active businesses, with cranes and the like moving piles of scrap around. Bits of metal may slide and bounce around, and you will see workers wearing head and eye protection while at work. You should do the same. Use protective goggles and a hard hat if you are going to walk around and/or close to the busy work zones.