The Difficulties of Packing Your Shed

One of the last things you’re probably thinking about with your upcoming moving is packing up the outdoors, specifically the things in your shed. It’s one of those areas that can be easy to forget between packing up your attic, getting everything from your children’s rooms, and even grabbing the dog’s toys.

Once you remember that your shed is going to need to be handled as well, you’re going to have to take extra precautions, since the items in your shed tend to have dangerous elements that have to be addressed before a move. Take a look at why your shed can be difficult to pack and why a professional moving company should handle it for you.

Moving your tools

One of the items likely living in your shed is your toolset which means you have items with blades, sharp edges, and heavyweight. You’ll want to prep for the move by putting all of your small tools in the toolbox and then gathering all of the tools of the same length to secure them together with a cord or plastic tab. Your movers will then secure all of the large or dangerous items with bubble wrap and properly label the box to make sure you are cautious when unpacking.

Furniture

Do you keep your lawn furniture in the shed during the offseason? You’ll need to think about how these items will be moved as well. They are usually bulky and lightweight, making it more likely that you’ll be able to dismantle some of it before the move. Look at the table legs, glass tops, and umbrellas in the table to see if things can come apart. Be sure to wash everything down and let it dry all the way before the movers secure it with plastic.

Gas-powered items or motorized vehicles

Next up is the items in your shed that contain gas, oil, or a motor. You’re going to have to drain these items of any harmful liquids like oil and gas from your lawn mower, grill, chainsaw, or snow blower. Your movers will have protective covers for your chainsaws and lawnmower blades, but they may want to remove all attachments and pack them in a separate box. They will either have you empty propane tanks or not bring them on the truck.

Be sure to discuss any motorized vehicles that you need to have moved that you don’t plan on driving. There are steps involved in preparing your car for shipping that your mover will need to discuss with you. Most people drive the vehicle or use a trailer behind the moving truck. If you own a motorized boat like a Jet Ski or ski-doo, or need your motorcycle moved, talk to your movers about what you need to do to get them ready before moving day.

Outdoor equipment and planters

Lastly, your shed likely holds your outdoor equipment, children’s stuff, and pots for your plants. Your mover will have to disassemble your swing sets and climbing toys unless you do them in advance, and then they will likely box your bikes to avoid bending them during the move. Before moving to another state, you’ll have to check if plants can be moved with you. Clean your planter boxes or pots thoroughly before the move and make sure to mark the box to show its heavy.

Being such a big job, it’s important to hire a professional moving company to handle your household move and everything in your shed. This is a look at how the move will go with the most common items in a shed.

Should You Help Your Movers or Simply Get Out of the Way?

You’ve hired the movers and moving day is coming up quickly, but is there anything else you need to do to prep your home for a move? For most families, it may feel like you’re overstepping to get anything ready for the movers since the movers likely have a system in place for how they pack and load your things.

They are liable for getting things moved safely which means that packing up your house for them may cause a feud later if something were to be damaged on their watch. How do you help the moving crew out without causing a bigger project for them? Take a look at these things that movers wish you knew to help them out before moving day.

Get appliances and other electrical belongings ready

The first way you can help your movers is to get the appliances ready now, instead of trying to do so on moving day. That goes for any appliance or anything electrical that can be unplugged and taken down before the move (hint - see last week's blog post!).

You don’t want your moving crew to have to try to figure out how to disassemble your washing machine, or worse, find out that they are not allowed to do that for you due to liability. Make sure you have appliances disconnected before the move and prep them in advance, such as defrosting the freezer in advance. Unplug your DVD player, coffee maker, clocks, lamps, and anything else that will need to be unplugged for the move.

Remove things from the wall

Next, check out each room of your house to see what is currently on your walls. You’ll find the moving day to be much easier if you remove these items now rather than to wait for the moving day. Remove pictures, paintings, mirrors, clocks, and anything else you’ve gotten used to being out of sight and out of mind. Put all of these items on one wall space so that they can be packed at one time.

Make a room for things not meant for the movers

If you have things that aren’t going to be moved for any reason, dedicate one space in the house for these items rather than trying to sort them out one-by-one on moving day. Your movers will appreciate if you’ve already sorted things and have a room that contains the items they aren’t meant to move. Many people choose a kitchen counter for things like phone chargers, mail, first-week box, and medicine, to avoid the movers trying to pack these items for you.

Prep your outdoor goods

You probably forgot about those outdoor items that need moved or didn’t realize they needed to be prepared as well (hint - we've given tips before on how to move outdoor items!). Your mowers and blowers are not going to be moved if they still have gas in them, so be sure to drain anything you own with oil or gasoline in them. You can run them out of gas or siphon them into a neighbor’s mower. Don’t try to bring propane tanks because your movers likely won’t accept them.

Pack some of it ahead of time

While you may be wondering if you should be packing up your house ahead of time, most of the time it’s better to have the movers handle this job to make sure everything is packed carefully. You can pack things but make sure they are labeled and marked if they are valuable.

You could always pack some of it beforehand if you have bubble wrap and proper boxes, but your movers will have all of this too. Be sure to discuss ahead of time what you’ll need to be moved so that your movers can prepare for the move. Perhaps put together a Moving Checklist.

On moving day, be sure to give your movers plenty of space to get the job done and tipping for a good job is standard. Your moving day can be simple if you do some of the prep work and stay out of the way on moving day in order to allow the professionals handle your move with care!