Tips for moving out of your dorm

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Get the most out of your vacation days with these top 5 tips for moving out of your dorm.

Take a break! You’ve earned it. After a grueling semester, a little rest and relaxation is long over due. There’s no need to lug your stuff from your dorm, to your parents place just to lug it back onto campus come the following semester. The secret to starting your school vacation early and enjoying it all break long is Dorm Room Boxes. When you choose Dorm Room Boxes for your dorm or college apartment storage needs, we do all the heavy lifting. Once you’ve signed up for the service we take care of the rest:

  • Deliver a moving kit to your dorm
  • Pick up your packed boxes
  • Store your belongings in a climate controlled warehouse 
  • Free delivery of your boxes back to your door before school starts

As if that wasn’t easy enough, we’ve got a top 5 list that covers how to virtually guarantee a stress free moving day!

Decide whether Dorm Room Boxes’ pickup, storage and delivery is right for you— After making your dorm your home away from home for the last several months, you may find that you’ve got way more stuff now than you did on the first day of classes. And those bulky items like couches, TV’s, microwaves, etc. are just going to take up space back home. If you live far away or if you’ll be traveling by air, Dorm Room Boxes is a no-brainer. Storing your belongings in a safe place over break, means that you can leave your boxes behind and travel hassle free!

Sell your textbooks— You may find that some textbooks are worth keeping. Others, you may have barely cracked open the spine on and they’re already collecting dust. If you can part with some of your books ahead of your move out date, you could end up saving yourself some time and earn yourself a little chunk of change. Most university bookstores will buy back books, and often you’ll find nearby stores that will take them off your hands. The alternative to brick-and-mortar bookstores are online forums; you could post on Facebook or check out these popular websites:  Cash4Books.net, Chegg, BuyBackTextBooks.com, Amazon, or eBay. On that note, if you’ve rented a textbook, remember to return it!

Pitch or Donate—It is important to clean up shop every now and again. Some keepsakes you’ll never want to part from. And you should hold on to your favorite college t-shirt and Quentin Tarantino movie poster for all time! But do you really need buckets of Mardi Gras beads or that stack of DVD’s that you NEVER watch? While packing, create Pitch and Donate piles and you’ll really lighten your load!

Completely fill your boxes—Make sure all of your boxes are properly sealed and closed before your movers arrive. Ensure the safety of your belongings by completely filling your boxes. Partially filled moving boxes could collapse when stacked. Try using crumbled newspaper or foam to fill in empty space. Efficient use of your boxes will save you money on your DRB purchase. Lastly, make sure your box is the right size for the items you are packing. Heavy items should be placed in smaller or medium size boxes. Light item can be placed in large boxes.

Label your boxes— Label your belongings with your personal DRB client code and we’ll make sure it gets to the right place. Label boxes with breakable items “fragile,” and never combine heavy and fragile items together in a box. 

Packing your pots and pans before moving

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 Moving is an activity that most people despise and dislike which is most likely the reason you are on our website. Packing is also another task that most who are familiar with moving seem to avoid or put off to the last minute. When packing your kitchen you are going to have to pack your pots and pans. Packing is easier if you have the right materials before hand. When you begin packing your kitchen it’s best to have the following:

Medium-sized, sturdy moving boxes.
Packing paper, kraft paper, or you can be green and use old newspaper
Packing Tape
Black Sharpie

Before packing you boxes it’s a good idea to make sure they are ready to carry the items you are about to place in them. Make sure you tape the seems of the boxes with a little reinforcement especially since pot and pans in a box can begin to add up weight wise in a hurry.

Take your paper and crumple it up into loose spheres. If you pack it too tight you may exhaust you paper supply and reduce the shock absorbency. After creating your paper spheres place them in the bottom of your boxes to provide a layer of cushion on the bottom.

Next you want to group all pots and pans together with their lids so you don’t have to search for them when you begin unpacking. It’s best to place smaller pots inside of larger pots. Before placing the smaller pots inside of larger pots be sure to place a few sheets of paper inside to keep them from rattling or clinging against each other. Follow this method to place your pots and pans inside of your box leaving enough space for the lids. Once your ready to pack you lids I go ahead and wrap them in paper and place them in the remaining space. Continue this method until you have packed all of you pots and pans.

After you have packed all your boxes use you sharpie to label them “Kitchen” and if you prefer you can also add a sub label like “pots and pans” “utensils” or “spices”. Make sure to label them on multiple sides and large lettering so you can see the labels from a far and without having to move the box.

Basic moving supplies you need to move

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Moving can be a tedious and daunting task, and when you don’t have the right moving supplies you need to pack for a move, it could prove to be a hassle and pretty annoying as packing can take up to 5 times longer. It is always better to be prepared when moving.

Moving can be a great experience, however packing is no fun especially if you are not well prepared. This will not only be a hassle on your part, but could put your items at risk. Packing is an important factor to have a successful relocation, and ironically this is one of the more difficult things to achieve. When you want to have a successful and hassle free relocation, you should consider having the proper materials for packing.

You can purchase moving supplies at a local hardware store, or if you are choosing to hire a moving company, you could purchase the moving supplies from them. Be very careful when choosing a recycled boxes to pack with.

Materials you want on hand before moving include: boxes in various sizes and shapes, scissors, news papers, bubble wraps, markers or pens, packing tape and tools for dismantling things such as furniture, or tv stands. These items are able to make your move easier and less stressful. These items are the most important, and if you don’t have these items when you are ready to start your local moving company usually will have supplies readily available for purchase.

Boxes are the most important item to have before moving. They come in various sizes and each of which has its certain uses. Bubblewrap and newspaper are most effective for glassware. Permanent markers are great for labeling. Labeling your boxes and their content make it easier to unpack later. It’s recommended that anyone who is moving have these materials on location before packing. It is a good idea to pack things that are of same kind or type. Also label your items that are glass or fragile as you may not be the one loading or unloading the box.

Cushions or padding can also be very useful for fragile materials. These materials are basic to the moving process and one would be ill advised to start packing if these basic items were are unavailable. These basic moving supplies can help anyone to have a

How to move out of your apartment

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Moving from your apartment can be overwhelming. Unless you are highly organized it’s hard to keep track of everything. We created a list of information we feel is important to help keep yourself organized and make your move as smooth as possible. We also added a timelime help make this as effective for you as possible.

If your moving timeframe is shorter than ours, don’t worry. You can always use this list as a guideline to keep you on track with your move and adjust the weeks to match your timeline.

 

6 – 8 weeks before your move

Create a word doc, written page in your day planner, note in your fav app..whatever to keep all of your moving information in one place.

Make a moving decision. Will you hire a moving company or move yourself?

Calculate the costs of your move and set up a moving budget.

Research the area you will be moving to Google is a great place to begin

Make sure all obligations to your current lease have been fulfilled or it may impact your ability to lease an apartment in the future.

Finalize move in-details, deposit, utilities, etc with your new apartment.

If you have renter’s insurance be sure to transfer it to your new place.

Make sure to notify everyone about your new move.

Start gathering moving supplies and moving boxes.

Give notice to your current apartment.

 

4 – 5 weeks before your move

Make arrangements for any valuables or firearms you may need to move.

Start packing items, beginning with items that are in storage or you use rarely.

When you move it’s a good time to et rid of items you no longer need. Craigslist, freecyle, Goodwill are great places to get rid of items.

Use up household items, such as frozen food or detergent, that you will not want to move.

Hire movers or arrange for friends to help you move. Transfer magazine and newspaper subscriptions.

File a change of address form with the Post Office.

Talk to your employer to make sure you can get your moving day off of work.

Make arrangements for your children and pets if needed.

Update your address on your driver license and car registration.

Update your address with all of your financial institutions.

Arrange for temporary storage of items if needed.

 

2 -3 weeks before your move

Return any library books.

Make a meal plan to use up food in your refrigerator, freezer or pantry.

Set up utilities at your new apartment.

Clean your apartment for the check-out process.

Confirm moving day details with your moving company.

Pack essential items you will want after you move in a Priority Box.

Pack the clothes, toiletries and personal items you will need in the days following your move in suitcases.

Conduct your Apartment Checkout Walkthrough. Be present at the check-out walk-through and discuss any issues.

 

Moving Day — Moving Out

Finish last minute packing, remember to put any items you will want right away in the Priority Box.

Check for any last minute cleaning, and take out the trash.

Withdraw any cash you will need.

Set aside any boxes/items that require special attention and you want to be moved separately in a car. It is also a good idea to move any bags, suitcases, Priority Box separately so you can get any items you want immediately.

If you are using a Moving Company, give the movers any special moving/handling instructions. Review and sign any paperwork when your movers arrive.

Trade contact information with the movers incase something happens during transit.

Do a final walkthrough of your old residence, make sure you aren’t leaving anything behind.

Turn off the electricity.

Make sure to secure the apartment.

Make arrangements to recieve your security deposit.

 

Moving Day — Moving into your new apartment.

Make sure to arrive at your apartment before your mover.

Check in with your apartment manager to perform an apartment walkthrough and get your apartment key, if you haven’t yet.

Make sure your utilities have been hooked up.

Take note of items as they are unloaded from your moving truck to make sure nothing was damaged. Once all of your belongings have been unloaded, read and sign any final paperwork (inventory, bill of lading, etc.) if everything is in order.

Pay and tip your movers.

Unpack your priority box and set up furniture you will want to use right away, such as beds, chairs, etc.