If you're an avid home gardener, you likely have a lot of outdoor tools that you'll need to take with you on your move to a new state. During the moving process, it's important to remember that transporting gardening supplies over state lines is a little different from the process of moving them locally. If you're not sure what those differences are, take a look at this simple, three-step guide on moving your garden tools interstate.
Step 1: Thin Your Collection
When planning to take garden tools on an interstate move, the first thing you need to do is minimise the number of tools you intend to take. Thinning out your collection is necessary for several reasons. For one, gardening tools can be bulky and weighty, so each unnecessary tool on your list will add to your transportation costs. Budgeting is always an important consideration, but it's even more crucial to cut costs on interstate moves as they're more expensive than moving locally. On top of that, there are also many garden items that cannot be shipped from state to state for safety reasons. Flammable gardening chemicals and petrol for ride-on mowers are a few examples. To thin out your collection, simply start going through your shed or garage, and sort items into three piles: tools you want to take with you, tools you don't need but can sell, and worthless tools to discard in the trash.
Step 2: Clean Your Tools
Once you've decided which tools you'll be taking with you, your next step is to clean them. When moving to a new house within your state, cleaning tools is recommended, but it's not essential. When moving to a new state, however, cleaning is a step you can't skip. Many states across Australia have quarantine restrictions which prohibit the transportation of plant matter, aiming to prevent the spread of pests and diseases. As a result, if any of your garden tools have soil or dead foliage on them, they could be confiscated during inspection. During the cleaning process, remember to remove batteries and fuel from powered tools. Not only will this prevent water damage while cleaning, it will also ensure your tools don't turn on during the shipping process and cause costly damage.
Step 3: Secure Your Tools
Finally, once everything is clean, it's time to secure your tools for the move. Ideally, power tools should be packed into their original boxes and padded out with newspaper. If you don't have the original boxes, similar sized packing boxes will suffice as long as they're sturdy. Small hand tools should be wrapped in paper then placed in toolboxes. Make sure you secure those tool boxes with tape so they don't open during the move. To keep hand tools with long handles undamaged during the move, tie the handles together with packing tape, and then wrap them in a furniture blanket. Talk to your interstate removals company to learn about any other packing preferences they may have.
