Step One: The Honest Inventory

Before you pack a single socket wrench, you need to take an honest look at what you actually have—and more importantly, what you actually use.

Most garages accumulate stuff the way rivers accumulate sediment. Layer after layer, year after year. That paint from 2017 you kept “just in case”? The three duplicate hammers? The mysterious box of screws and bolts that belongs to nothing and everything simultaneously? This is your moment of reckoning.

Walk through your space and sort everything into three categories: keep, sell or donate, and toss. Be ruthless. If you haven’t touched it in two years, it’s not a tool—it’s a souvenir. Broken items, rusted hardware, dried-up paint cans, and anything you bought for a project you quietly abandoned all go in the toss pile.

For the sell pile, you might be surprised at what has value. Old power tools, specialty equipment, vintage hand tools, and even leftover building materials can fetch decent money on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or at a garage sale. Turns out your garage really can be a goldmine—you just have to be willing to let some of it go.

Dealing with Hazardous Materials

Here’s where garage moves get tricky. Unlike your living room, your workshop is probably home to items that professional movers legally cannot transport. We’re talking about gasoline, propane tanks, paint thinner, motor oil, pesticides, fertilizers, pool chemicals, and anything else with a warning label that reads like a chemistry textbook.

These items need to be handled separately. Most communities have hazardous waste disposal programs—in the Orlando area, Orange County runs regular collection events where you can drop off these materials for free. Check your local government website for the next scheduled date.

For items like half-full gas cans or propane tanks, either use them up before the move or give them to a neighbor. Same goes for open paint cans. If the paint is still good, offer it to someone who can use it. If it’s dried up or ancient, dispose of it properly. Aerosol cans—spray paint, WD-40, compressed air—also fall into the no-go category for most moving trucks. Whatever you do, don’t try to sneak a can of turpentine into a moving box. Your movers will find it, and they’ll be less than thrilled.

Packing Hand Tools Without Losing Your Mind (or a Finger)

Hand tools are deceptively annoying to pack. They’re heavy, oddly shaped, and many of them are sharp enough to slice through a cardboard box like it’s made of tissue paper.

If your tools already live in a toolbox or chest, you’re ahead of the game. Secure the drawers and latches with tape or bungee cords so nothing slides open during transport. For loose tools, wrap sharp edges—chisels, saws, utility knives—in old towels, rags, or bubble wrap. Group similar items together: wrenches with wrenches, screwdrivers with screwdrivers. It’s not just about organization—it’s about not reaching into a box and grabbing something pointy.

Use small, sturdy boxes for hand tools. A large box packed with metal tools becomes an immovable fifty-pound cube of regret. Keep boxes to a weight one person can comfortably lift, and label everything clearly. “Tools – Wrenches & Sockets” is infinitely more useful than “Garage Stuff.” Your future self, standing in the new garage wondering where the 10mm socket went, will appreciate the specificity.

Power Tools and Large Equipment

Power tools deserve extra attention. If you still have the original boxes and cases, now is their time to shine. Those molded plastic cases that came with your drill, circular saw, or router are specifically designed to protect them during transport. Dig them out of wherever you’ve been storing them.

If the original packaging is long gone (no judgment), wrap each tool individually in moving blankets or thick towels. Remove any detachable blades, bits, or accessories and pack them separately in labeled bags. Batteries should be removed from cordless tools and transported separately—loose lithium-ion batteries in a box full of metal tools is a situation nobody wants.

For larger stationary equipment like table saws, drill presses, or workbenches, you’ll want to disassemble what you can. Remove legs, fences, guards, and any components that come off easily. Take photos before you start so you have a reference for reassembly. Bag all the hardware, label it, and tape it to the main unit. A zip-lock bag taped to the side of your table saw with all its bolts is a small act of genius you’ll thank yourself for later.

Heavy equipment should be loaded onto the truck first and secured with ratchet straps. This is where having professional movers pays for itself—a table saw sliding around in a truck during a turn is both a safety hazard and a fast way to ruin an expensive tool.

Hobby Equipment and Specialty Gear

Workshops aren’t just about tools. Many garage spaces double as hobby headquarters—woodworking, automotive restoration, fishing tackle, cycling gear, gardening setups, or that 3D printer you’ve been tinkering with for the past year.

The approach is the same regardless of the hobby: disassemble what you can, protect fragile components, and keep small parts organized and labeled. Fishing rods should be transported upright if possible or in hard cases. Bicycle wheels can be removed to save space. Gardening pots should be nested inside each other. For electronics like 3D printers or CNC machines, secure all moving parts, protect screens and beds, and pack filament and accessories separately.

If you have a significant collection—vintage car parts, rare woodworking tools, expensive cycling equipment—consider whether any items warrant special insurance coverage for the move. Your standard moving insurance might not fully cover a custom-built CNC router or a collection of antique hand planes worth more than your couch.