Moving Home From College? Tips For Packing Your Dorm
As the end of April comes into focus, the spring semester nears its end and thousands of college students face the prospect of taking their belongings back on the road for the summer. While this seems like a straightforward process, given that the sizes of dorms don’t typically lend themselves to extensive packing, it can be tricky to navigate. The fact of the matter is that no two dorm rooms are identical, and each comes with their fair share of logistical challenges.
Couple this in with the hectic end of semester schedule that students have come to expect and the need for comprehensive guidelines for dorm room packing becomes paramount. Let’s dive into some tips that can help university students avoid the burden of additional stress.
Make a Commitment to Starting Early
Like anything else in life, getting a jump start on the process is the best way to mitigate future challenges. Consulting moving companies in Bethlehem, PA and taking time to build a plan prior to the frenzied end of semester schedule hits can help you tackle your dorm room packing in manageable chunks as opposed to an unorganized whole. Setting aside a few hours each day to work on different areas of your dorm room is an effective way to get a head start. The goal should be to begin packing at least a week before your move-out day.
Everyone’s process is different as some may need to consult Bryn Mawr movers, but for many, the best way to go about the initial stages of your packing endeavor is to sort your items and downsize where you can. College life often results in the accumulation of a myriad of items that you don’t actually need. By sorting these items effectively and decluttering, you can save time, money, and space while moving and help create a cleaner, more organized living space. As you go through your items, you’ll be forced to make tough decisions as we bond with items during these formative years of our life but arriving upon which items you genuinely need to keep is in your best interest during the initial phase.
Using Storage Bins and Baskets/Labeling Everything
After all, college students are on the move more than the majority of us. Where traditional moving boxes may be appropriate for more infrequent relocation, students may want to invest in a reusable, more durable option. In addition to offering the ability to better optimize your storage, they can also better protect your items from dirt, moisture, and damage. Investing in high-quality, stackable plastic bins with lids to protect your belongings from dust or potential spills seems like a transportation cheat code.
Once we have these bins, it’s important to be able to identify their contents apart from their differences in color. Labeling seems like an unnecessary addendum when packing and organizing your supplies for the journey home, but running the risk of not being able to find a particular item when you return signifies just how critical this step can be. Not only will it make the unpacking process more efficient, it can also aid in earmarking certain bins that require special care due to their delicate contents.
Remember to Pack Seasonally, Not Entirely
Remember, we’re returning home for summer, not an entire year. Unless you’re waving goodbye to the college experience as a whole or you anticipate staying somewhere new for the next semester, there’s no need to pack the entirety of your wardrobe and belongings. Ultimately, there’s little use for heavy winter coats, hats and gloves in the dog days of summer. Also, the festive among us would be obliged to leave behind any Halloween or Christmas decorations that adorn the walls of our dorms.
It goes without saying that the fewer items you need to pack, the quicker the process becomes. This can also reduce the chances of overpacking and leaving things behind in the rush to get everything into your car or on the moving truck. The final benefit involves the gratification of finding your winter essentials neatly organized in your dorm when you do eventually return in the fall.
As you can plainly see, preparation and execution of our summer relocations doesn’t have to be as daunting and time consuming as studying for finals. By adhering to these manageable steps, you can approach this process with excellent foresight, organization and efficiency. However, as stated earlier, not every student’s dorm room is tailor made for every situation.
If you have any questions or moving conundrums that may be too big to tackle alone, it’s always recommended that you consult the relocation professionals at Louderback moving. Our standard of excellence makes us well-equipped to handle any and all of your moving questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out or request a quote for the particulars surrounding your next summer homecoming