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Packing your garage is one of the most difficult tasks you’ll have to deal with while moving. There are always many items to pack in a garage, workshop, or tool shed and its hard to figure out where to start.
While some people only use their garages for parking cars, some store several other things in their garages including athletic equipment, lawn mowers, yard tools such as shovels and several other pieces of equipment. In fact, many people toss items they don’t know what to do with inside their garage. So the first thing to do is to purge and organize.
How To Sort And Organize Your Garage For Easy Packing
One of the most common items in many garages are old cans. So, I’ll suggest you start by safely doing away with old cans of pesticides, oil and gas, paints, and fertilizers. Several cities provide household hazardous waste collection centers. Make sure you dispose off all your cans appropriately. Don’t let them end up in a landfill or water source.
Many people often keep items they think they might need some day in their garage. Start clearing out the clutters by tossing scrap lumber, building materials, and several other pieces of things you wouldn’t need in your new home.
But if there are items you might need such as cans of paint thinners or wood stains, paints, or vanish, make sure you tape down all their lids appropriately. Let’s move on to some of the most common items people store in their garage.
Gas Powered Tools And Lawn Mowers
First, you’ll have to empty all motorized tools that contain fuel. This not only reduces the possibility of starting a fire, it also lessen the risk of spilling gas on your furniture. Many moving companies and truck rental companies will not allow you to transport potentially explosive materials on their truck.
Make sure you tape the cutting edge of lawn mower blades to protect them during the move. Another option is to remove the blades before you move and sharpen them when you arrive at your new home. Do your best to dispose off old gas by taking it to a recycling center or an automotive shop.
Tools
All your hand tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers should be kept in tool boxes that can be firmly closed or in cardboard boxes that you can tape shut. Make sure you carefully tape the front of all your sharp tools such as hand planners, chisels, and hand saws to protect the blades. You can use your old socks and rages as sleeves for any of these tools.
What of larger cutting tools such as circular saws, drills and routers? Wrap them in newspaper and boxed them up. But if you have their original packaging, it’ll be the best way to pack them.
What about clamps? You should pack your clamps and wrap them with shrink wraps or you can tie them together with long rags and depending on their size, you can tie them together in sets of two three or four. Keep your smaller clamps in boxes. Make sure you protect your larger clamps by taping cardboard, foam or thick blankets around plastics or moving parts. Consider luggage and duffel bags as packing devices for your tools.
If you’re looking to move bulky heavy tools such as like table saws, miter saws and planers, consider getting some help. If you’ve find some helping hands to move these large items and a truck or trailer to carry them, make sure they are secured appropriately while in transit. Read more about how to pack and transport heavy items when you’re moving.
If the workload seems to be too much than you can handle, here’s how to find and hire moving labor helps.
If possible, disassemble these items to make them easier to pack transport. Cover the blades on these large tools or remove them to lessen the possibilities of injury.
Nuts and Bolts
If you at least own a car, there’s a good chance you’ve got a collection of screws, bolts and nails somewhere in your garage. If you’re well organized and have your nuts and bolts sorted in containers which can be sealed or taped shut you’re ready to pack.
If you’ve got a drawer or bucket full of fasteners, hinges and hardware it might be a good idea to make a run to the nearest scrap yard. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t used in two years, or have no immediate idea what you’d use it for, then it’s time to get rid of it.
Workbenches
You’ll have to consider the shape and size of your workbench before making up your mind to devote the energy and space it will take to move it. Take a careful look at the top of your workbench, if its old and look scrappy with dents and dings, consider replacing it once you get to your new home.
If you’re using a customized workbench, odds are you’ll have to customize it again once you’re in your new workshop.
If possible disassemble the bench for easier transport. If you’ve got cabinets in your shop that can easily be transported consider packing tools in them as long as they don’t become too heavy to move and the doors can be kept shut.
