Dean,
you bring up a good point and although I didn't mention it, I remove just the more common use ICs while leaving the boards in a box. Yes, ESD can be a problem and they are better left mounted to the board, also making it easier to quickly scan a board for a needed chip, versus rifling thru a parts drawer of them.
Someone Electro,
The reasoning behind having a quiet room is to better hear horiz. oscillators in a television to confirm they are working, as well as listening for other low level mechanical sounds in problem equipment. For the most part, a television or stereo is running off side for entertainment. And that can be a real distraction just like it was last night as hot solder dripped off the pencil onto my leg ... nice blister!!