Things We Only See In A Funeral Home

The coffin (naturally)

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This is probably the most obvious one on this list, but of COURSE there's going to be many caskets and coffins within the funeral home. They often offer ranges of these to customers, but quite often customers elect to choose other coffins from somewhere else.

Embalming tables

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An embalming table is necessary for a funeral home to carry out the embalming process. Usually, the best options will have a table with a drain that will allow a flow of liquids from the surface and that can adjust to various heights. There are embalming tables that fold for simple storage too!

Body coolers

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I guess this isn't much difference to a walk in freezer that you'd have in the back of any restaurant. It's normal for funeral homes to house more than one body at a time, so naturally, they need a place to store all of these bodies while they're not doing any work on them.

Artery tubes

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For those that haven't heard of artery tubes, they're used to drain the blood from the body in the embalming process (I know, a bit depressing!). First, the body is washed and massaged, then an anti-bacterial solution is applied to remove any of the harmful bacteria on the body. It's only then that the artery tubes are utilized.

Mortuary stretchers

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Mortuary stretchers are exactly what you think they are. They're a platform that the body can be placed on in order for it to be moved around the building, including for the embalming process. They make it very easy for the embalmer to quickly and easily move wheel the body around!

Mortuary trolleys too!

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So you might think that it's all one equipment, but you're wrong. The trolleys are what the stretchers are placed on. These are so useful for morticians as they're able to easily wheel one body to the other end of the funeral home, and return with another!

Cavity injectors

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During the process of preparing the body for a funeral, any-blood related fluid has to be drained from the body (as we've already mentioned). Then, after this takes place, the organs are filled up again with a formaldehyde solution, which is where the cavity injectors are used.

Dressing table

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You will want a table that is ideal for prepping the body, where it's both simple to sterilize and sturdy enough to be used often. If the facility is on the smaller side, there might be a foldable table that requires less storage room while still serving the dressing needs.

Urns

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If you elect for a cremation over a burial, it's only natural that it's going to be an urn that you get at the end, meaning there'll be plenty of these at the funeral home to choose from. Don't feel as though you have to get it from there though, you're free to choose an urn from somewhere else.

Drainage tubes

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Drainage tubes are exactly what they sound like. There's crucial to the embalming process of the body and that's where the blood flows through after being removed from the body of the deceased, and helps to prevent blood splattering all over the stretcher.

The hearse

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While this one might not live INSIDE the funeral home, it will definitely be outside, waiting for the body to be picked up and taken to the funeral itself. Sometimes this is held at the funeral home, and the body is taken there, others it will be taken somewhere else like a church.

Hydro aspirators

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Did you know that embalming a body doesn't have to be done manually? There's actually a spooky, clever machine that can do the job automatically. However, the embalming machine does need hydro aspirators, which manage the flow of liquid through the machine itself.

Aneurysm needles

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Listen, where embalming is involved, there's going to be a few cuts here and there on the body of the deceased. That's where aneurysm needles come in. These are used in the process of stitching up the cuts, and also provide useful to place arteries and veins in the right position for draining.

Scissor lift

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Scissors lifts are integral to a good funeral home. Over a thousand pounds can be lifted and moved with the help of these fantastic lifts. You can even get one operated automatically, or a manual hydraulic scissor lift is an option too. Don't be surprised if you see one of these!

Needle injectors

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Needle injectors might not be found in funerals so often anymore, and are classic funeral equipment used for embalming. It proves very useful in locking closed the mouth of the diseases, and is usually injected under the upper and lower lips. Then, steel wires are used to close the mouth.

Stopcocks

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A stopcock isn't really only found in funeral homes, but is an integral part of their equipment that they couldn't do without. Essentially, it attaches to the embalming tank hose and arterial tube. From there, the embalmer can be used to control how fast the embalming solution flows.

Trocars

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So you've heard all about how the blood is drained from the body, but we're missing the most important piece. Trocars are used to puncture little holes in the organs with its' tiny needles, which is a great way of draining the blood-type liquids out.

Clothing scissors

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There's many types of scissors that are used within the funeral home world, and fabric scissors are one of them. Naturally, the body of the deceased might be clothed and they'll need to use these blunt-edged scissors to cut bandages or clothes as they need to.

Tips for planning a funeral

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We've spoken all about the equipment you can find at a funeral home and, while it sounds like there's a lot of work to be done behind the scenes, you don't want to get ripped off for no reason. Here's some top tips from a funeral director themselves when it comes to planning a funeral.

Walmart and Costco sell caskets

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While the caskets and coffins might look really nice at the funeral home, and you might be in a position of vulnerability and a clouded mind, don't automatically think you've got to get it from there. You can actually buy the coffin from Walmart or Costco if you wanted to!

Embalming isn't mandatory

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A lot of funeral homes won't have freezers because they want you to embalm the body instead, which is more expensive. If the viewing is held within a few days following death, then the likelihood is that you don't need to embalm the body. Don't feel pressured into it!

Double check the urn

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Urns can be expensive, and funeral homes reap off that. But you can actually either buy one yourself, or not have one at all! If this is the case for you, it's always worth asking the funeral director if you can have the ashes in a plain metal or plastic box.

Ask for the details of the package

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One of the most important tips is to ask for the individual pricing list if a funeral director attempts to offer you a bundle that they claim would save you money. The packages, while they might sound enticing, could include services that you don't want or need.

Don't buy a new outfit for burying a loved one

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Funeral directors encourage you to actually bring them the deceased's favorite clothing item even if it is a size too small or large. Making the garments fit right is a part of their job so don't bother going out to buy new clothes that will fit your recently-deceased.

Recent photos only!

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The funeral director warns that the worst thing you can do is not provide an up to date photo of the deceased. The reason for this is that they usually use the photo as a source for preparing the body and if the photo is too old, then they will struggle.

Don't ask to remove fillings or crowns

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Believe it or not, people ask for fillings or crowns to be removed from the deceased, especially if they cost a lot of money and they want to keep that value. Well, don't do that. It's apparently not part of the funeral etiquette at all (which comes as no surprise).

Find out who owns the funeral home

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It could be a good idea to find out who exactly owns your neighborhood funeral parlor. In recent years, corporate chains have acquired hundreds of family-owned funeral facilities, although following a takeover, they often maintain the original name, branding, and even certain staff members. This can mean BIG price increases!

Take someone along

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When you meet with a funeral director, you should always bring a companion, preferably someone who wasn't as sentimentally involved with the dead. The reason for this is that your judgment could be clouded, or you might find the meeting a little too overwhelming.

Funerals don't HAVE to be expensive

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It's not always necessary to pay money to get quality service. You might want to consider other options like asking loved ones to share memories or recite poems during an event at the widow's house or an informal ceremony at a beloved park. Get creative with it!

Think of other options over an urn

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While you can keep ashes in an urn or scatter them in a meaningful place, it's worth considering other options. These days you can also have them turned into a genuine diamond, incorporated into an undersea coral reef, or launched into space. How does that sound?