Ask anyone preparing to move what part of the home they dread the most, and many will readily proclaim the garage as the most distressful. This one area of the house often becomes a catch-all for a variety of things. And, the items that belong in the garage can be difficult to sort and pack.
Get your garage ready for moving day. Here are a few useful tips for helping you sort, sift, and pack in preparation.
1. Sort by putting things back where they belong.
Numerous items find their way to the garage, from the box of extra kitchen utensils to the extra lamps and household decor. Before you pack, take those miscellaneous items to the area in the house they should go.
Weeding all this out will make your garage look much less intimidating to pack, but it will also simplify your life when you get to the new place. You won’t unpack random items in the garage but in the room where they will hopefully have a new place. Clearing the clutter will also give you a better look at what you have to sort, what needs to be gotten rid of, and just how much you have to move.
2. Sift out what you don’t need or want.
Allowing your garage items to accumulate over time usually leads you to store many things you don’t necessarily need or want. Instead of trying to pack all the extra stuff, weed out the unnecessary. Consider:
- Trimming down any duplicate tools
- Eliminating parts, pieces, and hardware to items you no longer own (e.g., auto parts, furniture hardware, etc.)
- Getting rid of put-off project pieces, you’ll likely never finish
Dispose of, or give away, fluids and chemicals that may not be safe to move in a residential moving truck. For example, half-used cans of paint, liquid or powder lawn fertilizer, and engine fluids are dangerous and not allowed on moving trucks.
3. Pack according to future logical placement.
Packing your garage is perhaps your biggest chore of all. You have things in this space that logically belong here, but the whole is made up of many items that fall under different categories. While you may be inclined to pack everything according to the category it belongs in, packing according to future placement is more logical.
For example, if your new home’s garage has a workbench, pack the items together that you will naturally keep inside or on the workbench. Pick up some plastic storage totes for packing heavy items like tools and power tools; you can always use these totes for storage and organization at the new house.
Enjoy a Smoother Move with Professional Movers
When you have pro moving professionals to see you through a challenging move, you’ll find many parts of your home easier to tackle, including the ever-dreaded garage. Reach out to us for a quote. We can make your residential move easier to handle.