How To Pack Your Garage For A Move

By Joshua Green

Updated: Nov 20, 2019

4 min read

Fact-checked by Martin Panayotov

Reviewer & editor

If you think you’ll have the fun of your life while packing your garage for a move, you may be the only one. Few people would actually enjoy the garage packing process because it is nothing but a lot of hard work over a long period of time.

To pack a garage for moving is a big project that surely needs to gets under way as soon as you know the moving date. Mark packing your garage or tool shed as a high priority task on your moving calendar and do you best to get it done before you’re mentally and physically exhausted by all the other moving preparations.

How To Sort Out Your Garage Before Packing

Packing Materials

The very first thing you need to do before getting down to sorting your garage is to get hold of suitable packing materials. Obviously, you can’t pack up your garage for a move without sturdy cardboard boxes of various sizes, a huge roll of bubble wrap, packing paper (newsprint will also do the trick), heavy-duty packing tape, a large assortment of resealable zip lock bags, cable ties and markers. Also, look around the house for any old towels and rags because they will prove to be much handier than you can imagine.

And, before you start placing your garage belongings into the moving containers, make sure you have secured their bottoms with several layers of packing tape for added protection. Have in mind that most items that can be found in a garage or a tool shed are quite heavy, oddly shaped and often have sharp edges or protruding parts.

Sorting Strategy

A garage sale is a good opportunity to cut down your impending moving expenses by pocketing some much needed cash.

The sheer number of things in garages and storage sheds is usually overwhelming. It’s where people often store two bipolar types of items: either very useful or very… worthless. Therefore, you’ll need a clear strategy before you start sorting through all the odds and ends that can be found in your garage. And instead of handling things randomly, divide mentally the entire storage space into several logical segments, and sort one area at a time for improved results.

Also, designate two large zones within your garage space: one zone for the things you are taking with you (and will be packing soon) and one for the stuff you don’t want anymore, won’t use in the foreseeable future and/or is forbidden to be transported to your next place of residence.

Items NOT To Be Packed

It doesn’t make much sense to pay for the transportation of belongings which you have no intent to use in the future and therefore, you are strongly advised to get rid of all those unwanted garage items either by giving them to friendly neighbors or just throwing them away. Furthermore, almost all garages have a certain number of hazardous materials that can’t be moved due to safety reasons. Moving companies forbid fuel, motor oils, antifreeze, paint and paint thinners, charcoal, propane tanks, fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, car batteries, cleaning supplies and the like to be loaded on their moving trucks, so you’ll have to decide how to properly dispose of each and every flammable, explosive or corrosive item that you have in your garage. Don’t forget to ask your chosen mover for a complete list of those non-allowable items.

If you are about to survive a cross-country move or you’re planning to downsize into an apartment or a smaller house, consider the tempting option of organizing a garage sale for all the garage items that you don’t need or use. After all, apart from the money you’ll surely waste for their senseless transportation, you’re going to have to find adequate space for them in your new residence as well.

How To Pack Up Your Garage For Moving

Hand Tools

Leave your smaller hand tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, hammers, etc. in your dedicated toolbox and shut it tight. If you don’t have a toolbox, use strong small or medium-sized boxes because tools are usually rather heavy. Zip lock bags are ideal for safekeeping smaller hardware parts that could otherwise go missing during the relocation process.

It’s very important that you take the necessary precautions when preparing sharp-edged instruments (knives, gardening sheers, pickaxes, scythes) for a state to state move, or even local relocation. Wrap the dangerous sharp blades with a few layers of bubble wrap, old towels or rags and secure them in place with a long piece of string or a few cable ties.

As far as your long-handled garden tools go (brooms, rakes, shovels, hoes), group them according to their size and tie or tape them together in a tight bundle but be sure to have previously secured their open blades as described above. Finally, wrap them tight with a large (moving) blanket and they should be ready to be loaded onto the waiting moving truck.

Power Tools

Electric power tools are pretty straightforward to pack. Remove any detachable parts a tool may have, including the batteries, and pack them separately but preferably in the same box as the main body. Then, wrap the power cord around the electric device so that it won’t tangle with other instruments during the haul. It’s great if you still keep the original packages of your power tools because that will speed up the packing process considerably and improve the overall protection. If you don’t, look for suitable protective covers to keep them safe until they reach their new home, but bubble wrap, old towels and unneeded pieces of clothing will serve the same purpose.

Gas operated machinery should be emptied of their fuel before packing them for a move.

Lawnmowers, chainsaws, snow blowers or any other gas-operated machinery cannot and will not be transported until their fuel is drained. Provided that a gas powered unit has very little fuel left, you can start the machine and let it run idly for a while until the tank is as empty as a bird’s nest in December. However, if there is still quite a lot of fuel inside, you’re going to need to syphon it out of the tank with the help of a hand pump. Remember that moving companies will refuse to move any gas powered tools whose tanks have not been completely emptied of fuel.

Lawn Or Patio Furniture

Any outdoor pieces of furniture need to be thoroughly cleaned and then dismantled as much as possible for easier transportation. Remove cushions and stack chairs together. After making sure they are dry, fold umbrellas or parasols and place them in plastic covers or bags. Be extra careful when handling easily breakable items, such as glass from table surfaces, flower pots, bird baths or feeders, decorative pieces and so on, and wrap them well in bubble wrap or thick cloths so that they survive the move across the country in one piece.

Bonus Moving Tips For Packing Your Garage, Tool Shed Or Storage Shed

Here are some more pointers on how to best prepare and move more items usually found in and around garages, tool sheds and storage sheds:

Car and/or motorcycle: if you won’t be driving your own vehicle to your new home, contact a reputable auto transportation company to arrange for its preparation and transportation. The same is also true for your motorcycle. If you’re unsure how to get your motorized vehicles ready for a safe relocation, your selected auto movers will gladly help you in that regard as well;

Garden tools with long handles should be bundled together and wrapped up in a moving blanket.

Bicycle: bikes are usually dismantled and packed in a special way and moved in dedicated shipment boxes designed specifically for that purpose. Refer to these great detailed instructions on how to pack your bicycle for a move. The proper packing of your bike is a must when shipping it long distance by air or land. However, if your move is within a driving distance from your current and soon-to-be-old home, then your bicycle can be loaded directly into the moving vehicle;

Grill and barbecue: if your grill is equipped with a propane tank, the latter is not permitted to be loaded into a moving truck regardless of whether the container is full or empty, so it’s best to leave it behind and buy a new one at your new house. And unless you’re performing a DIY move, you can’t take with you the charcoal from your barbecue either, so give it away to your neighbors;
Satellite dish/TV antenna: call the company that installed the antennas in the first place and ask for some useful guidelines on how to pack them the best possible way;
Children’s play set: it’s best if you have preserved the original boxes your swing sets, slides and trampolines came with but even if you haven’t, regular cardboard boxes of suitable sizes will also save the day.

Final Words Of Garage Packing Wisdom

Did you know that there are 5 golden rules when packing a garage for a move?

Still thinking that packing a garage for a move is a piece of cake?

Don’t skimp on your black marker pen. Do label each box with “GARAGE” or “FRAGILE”, including a detailed description of the contents of the moving container.
Before disassembling a certain item which you suspect you might have a hard time putting back together, take a photo of it for problem-free reassembly later on.
No matter what you’ve just broken apart, keep the small elements and auxiliary or spare parts in sealable plastic bags and make sure they travel in the same box with the body they came from.
Do not underestimate the time it takes to pack your entire garage area. Many moving experts believe garages and tools sheds are the hardest and most time-consuming premises to pack for a more. Start early and call a friend or two to help you during this transitional period.
When things get really tough, keep in mind that professional relocation assistance is just one phone call away.

How To Pack Your Garage For A Move