27 June 2016
 Categories: , Blog

If you are planning on moving to a new home soon, you might be a little overwhelmed with your garage. It is not uncommon to be completely clean and organized inside your home, but have a garage that is a little chaotic. Here are some tips for packing up your garage.

Sort Your Items First

This is one of the biggest parts of packing up a garage, but it is necessary if you don't want to get too frustrated with the packing process. It is good to sort the items in the garage before packing for multiple reasons. First of all, it makes it easy to pack up items that are similar to each other, since you can then have the garage at your new home more organized when it comes to unpacking. Sorting also lets you see exactly how much you have, as well as what you can get rid of and not pack at all. Dedicate an entire weekend to just sorting and organizing, creating different piles of similar items, such as painting supplies in one area, tools in another, and holiday decorations in another.

Pack Everything in New Boxes

This is something many people don't do because it takes more time, but it is highly recommended. If you leave your garage items in the same cardboard boxes that have been sitting in there for a while, you might be bringing some unwanted guests with you. It is common to have spiders, rodents, cockroaches, and other insects hidden inside your cardboard boxes. To avoid bringing them to your new garage, remove items from these boxes and either place them in new cardboard boxes or plastic storage bins.

Know What Not to Pack

You may also have some items in your garage that really don't need to be packed up and moved. These items are difficult to move safely, and you are better off disposing of them properly then buying them again when you reach your new home. For example, don't pack up any dangerous chemicals like paint thinner, antifreeze, fertilizer, fuel, or motor oil. Some of these items you might be able to place in open boxes and put in your own vehicle, but the moving company might not allow them on their truck. If anything can be replaced, get rid of it now.

Be Careful With Sharp or Dangerous Items

In your garage, you probably have a lot of hand tools and gardening tools that have the potential to harm you. With these types of items, you need to be careful with how they are packed. Items that fit in boxes or bins should first be wrapped in either bubble wrap or old towels and blankets to cover the blade or sharp edge. That way if someone is moving these boxes, they don't accidentally get injured. For long-handled tools, still wrap them up, but carry them and place in a corner of the moving truck since they likely don't fit in a box or storage bin.