As all incoming freshman students are preparing for college move-in day, here are the best tips and tricks that students have come up with. Hopefully these tips could help make your college move in day less chaotic.
Tips and Tricks for College Move in Day by Melissa Shoultz
1. Pack everything together
Pack everything in as few, manageable bags/boxes as possible. Avoid lots of loose items and small bags, so things don’t get lost and you don’t have to fish them out of the bottom of the big carts!
- IKEA Blue bags are the best!
(But if you don’t have them by now, you’ll probably not be able to find them. They are a hot commodity!) - Pack directly into storage bins, etc that you’re bringing to leave at school. There is no room to store big luggage, so think folding collapsible bags.
2. Tips for bringing clothes to college
Leave clothes on the hanger, zip-tie or rubber band the tops together and pull a trash bag over them. Take them directly off the closet rod, transport and quickly hang them right back up!
3. Label all your boxes
Print out paper labels with student name/dorm and room number to tape onto each box, bag or clothing bundle. This way, even if it gets lost, it will find their ways back to you.
4. Have a college moving kit ready
Have a moving kit handy and pack it upfront with you. This is separate from all the other stuff. In this magical bag, you want to include:
- Lysol wipes
- A roll of paper towels
- A thing of hand soap
- A roll of toilet paper
- other grocery bags to use as trash bags,
- until everything is unpacked and set up
- Scotch or painters tape
- Command hooks
- A pen/marker
- Scissors
- twine
- a rubber mallet
- a multi-head screwdriver
You also want to have a small fan, snacks & water and a change of shirt.
5. Pool noodle and long zip-ties
Buy a pool noodle and long zip-ties. Best $2 you’ll ever spend. Before you set up anything else in the room, attach the pool noodle to the mattress frame on the side to the wall, then move the bed into place up against the wall. This will prevent the phone, the charger, the homework, whatever from falling down between the bed and the wall, which is especially important with raised or lofted beds! Plus who wants to pull all of their stuff stored under their bed back out to get your stuff that fell!
6. Tips for lofting your bed in college
First thing is to get a bed rail. Kids across the country have had serious, life altering brain injuries from falls. Late nights, lack of sleep, alcohol and heights do not mix!
7. Take a video walk through for damages in your dorm room
Lastly… BEFORE you start cleaning, unpacking or setting anything up. Take a video walk through or pictures of any damage to the room! You will be assessed damage fees at move-out and you can’t prove that it wasn’t caused by your student without dated pictures/video to documenting it.
