How to Pack Your Garage

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikimedia

If you own a home, there is a good chance it came with a garage.  Whether you use it as a place to park your car, a man cave to erect your DIY projects, or as a home-based storage unit, chances are when you’re getting ready to move, this will be one of the most complicated rooms to pack.  Even if you do have a car parked in the garage, there are usually things stored around it and/or shelves next to it, or a washer & dryer sharing the space with it.  American garages are nothing if not adaptable.  With this in mind, I thought I’d share my top-10 tips for packing your garage in this week’s blog. 

      1.      A garage is a great place to start the packing process – A garage is a handy place to store whatever we use least often, as well as bring a perfect first choice when it comes time to begin packing your home.  Rule number one in the packer’s credo is to start by packing the items that you don’t use on a regular basis.  This includes things like holiday decorations, seldom used tools and appliances, along with that beach umbrella that hasn’t seen the light of day in years.  After weeding out the stuff you’re looking to sell at a garage sale, box up the rest of these infrequently used items, remembering to label the boxes. 

      2.      A garage is a garage – While you’re at it, you can also get a jump-start on step number two by moving your car to the driveway, so you can use the empty space as a marshaling area for the multitude of boxes you’ll be loading from all around the house.  Unless you like living in a warehouse, designating the garage or some other room in your house as a collection area for the scads of boxes you are sure to pack can save you money since you won’t have to rent one of those mobile storage units.

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      3.      The trouble with tools – Before the warehouse process begins, you’ll want to police the garage to pack your hand tools stored there.  The trouble with many tools is that they are sharp.  Sharp enough to poke clean through a cardboard box, not to mention cut you or your movers.  Before you shove gardening sheers, screwdrivers, drill bits and saw blades in a box, you need to wrap the pointy end several times around with bubble wrap.  I would go one better with really sharp implements, like garden shears by cutting a slit in a tennis ball before slipping the end of the blade into the ball.  Also make sure you place things like screwdrivers, wrenches and hammers in the tool box for safe shipping.

      4.      Long-handled tools – Implements like hoes, rakes and brooms are best handled by tying the handles together and stuffing the whole lot, handle first into a trash can.

      5.      Power to the power tools – Power tools come in two different flavors, electric and gas-powered.  When it comes to the electric variety, you need to remove blades and bits before boxing them.  If battery-powered, remove the batteries. When it comes to gas-powered tools, you need to drain all the fuel before packing them for shipping.

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      6.      Caustic Chemicals - When it comes to household chemicals, if you aren’t prepared to dispose of them, then you need to pack them into plastic bins (because cardboard loses strength should it get wet) and place these bins near the front of the garage.  The reason you need to do this is so you can transport them in your car, since movers are prohibited by law from transporting hazardous or flammable chemicals of any kind.

      7.      Things that go boom – As well as obviously flammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosene and camping fuel, other items you’ll need to segregate so you can move them on your own are lamp oil, matches, charcoal, paint thinner and nail polish remover.

      8.      Boxing your bikes – Unless you have a bike rack on your car, van or SUV, the most efficient way to box your bikes for transport is to get a bike box from your local bike shop.  These are the same boxes the bikes come in from the factory.  They are made so you can stuff an entire bicycle into the box simply by removing the pedals and loosening the handlebars before turning them ninety-degrees, so the handlebars are parallel with the rest of the bicycle. 

     

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9.      The bits box – Even once you’ve packed all the big stuff up in your garage, there are always what I refer to as the bits and pieces.  This includes nuts, bolts, tape, twine and other tiny oddities that seem to congregate there.  The best way to deal with this assortment is to stuff them all into a bit box or bit bin.

      10.  Major appliances – It isn’t at all unusual for a washer and dryer to reside in the garage.  The good thing is other than disconnecting them, there is little for you to do to get them ready for transport.  The one exception is the washer water hoses and the dryer exhaust hose, both of which should be disconnected from the wall and the washer and dryer before being rolled up, bagged up and stuffed inside the respective washer and dryer.

While packing a garage can seem like a daunting task, if handled properly, it can be a kind of godsend that will make packing the rest of your house without being buried alive in a sea of boxes a breeze.

With over 5,000 moves, Scott's Discount Movers has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.