Tips for moving out of your dorm

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

 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

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

Moving companies

I have experienced the worst of the worst when it comes to moving companies, as well as some of the best. Having my high dollar electronics thrown around like inexpensive toys were not what I had in mind when moving them to my new home. I have even had to help the movers as they were unable to lift one of my dressers from my basement, which ended up causing me to pull a muscle in my back that has plagued me for years. This is when finding a company with passionate movers is worth the cost.

I did get lucky when moving into my current residence as I hired Strong College Students they promised highly motivated movers that cared as much as I do. These guys were strong, kind, and passionate movers that were there to provide a service better than anyone else. The team was on time, friendly, and upbeat as they greeted me with a smile on their face. I was instantly reassured that my packing and moving goals were their first priority, and they weren’t kidding. The difference was night and day. These workers cared about their appearance, worked well as a team, and recognized the importance of the job at hand.

It’s difficult to put your trust in someone who doesn’t have the appearance of professionalism. It’s even more difficult to justify paying the cost to move my most expensive items not knowing if they are going to make it safely to their final destination. Finding a company that curbs your anxiety can seem impossible if you have had a bad experience with movers, but they do exist, and it’s a huge relief when you can safely put your trust in their services.

Finding the right moving company

Making the decision to move can be extremely stressful. The thought of having to move all your heavy furniture, expensive electronics, and other important items from your residence can seem like a daunting task. Hiring a moving company that cared for my belongings as much as I did was an important decision that made the process a million times simpler.

Having moved so many times over the past 5 years, I have gone through my fair share of “experienced home movers.” Unfortunately, hiring the wrong type of company can cause more harm than good. The last thing you want is to hire a company who doesn’t value your possessions. Hiring a reputable company that will treat your possessions and home with respect will pay for itself ten times over.

Moving Tips for Hiring a Moving Company

So you finally decided to pull the trigger and relocate to a new city, one that offers everything you could ever ask for: good homes, great jobs, lots of culture, and tons of awesome entertainment options. There are many moving companies in the Tampa Bay Area. Many of them are unlicensed and do not have the proper moving insurance or credentials to handle your belongings. As a service to our industry and to help prevent you from having an unpleasant moving experience we created these moving tips.
Make sure that the driver and relocation crew sent by the moving company has good instructions before you leave them with your belongings and/or they leave you. We want to make sure we get your belongings to your new destination quickly and in an efficient manner.
There are so many fraudulent/scammers in the moving industry that it can be difficult to make sure you pick a reputable company but definitely before hiring them make sure they have all the needed documentation and permits to be able to legally operate as a moving company (two guys and a truck can get you in trouble if you aren’t careful).
Another great idea is to have a backup plan in the event that the mover blows you off or no-shows the move. Strong College Students is a reputable company and has never no showed for any client in our history of operations. But we have been called out to help move clients who booked other fly by night moving companies
Always, always, always check the insurance that the mover carries. You want to be certain that they can and will cover anything that is broken in the move and/or you already decided that you just don’t care.

Moving Companies and Movers: 5 Things to Remember when Moving

Don’t forget to save room for the moving truck.

When you’re hiring movers, you’re going to need to ensure that there’s a parking space for the moving truck. It’s always a good idea to notify your neighbors of the move and that you’ll be using the front parking spaces or the back alley or whatever space is best for your move. Remember, that if you’re hiring a moving company, you’ll need to make sure that the truck is parked close to both the old house, where you’re moving from, and the new home, where you’re moving to.

 

Notify the neighbors.

While this point has already been mentioned, it’s worth mentioning again. Not only should neighbors be aware of the parking space you’ll need, but also of any inconvenience they may encounter because of your move. If you’re moving on a weekend, when neighbors are more likely to be home, it’s good to let them know that you’ll be using the sidewalk or the space out front or that more cars will be parked out front.

 

Have cash on hand.

Tipping the movers and having cash on hand for pizza or snacks or any last minute things that you might need will save you the trouble of having to dig for a credit card or running to the bank or ATM at the last minute. Most movers appreciate a cash tip so have it ready before they arrive and keep it somewhere that’s easy to access after your move in is complete.

 

Remember to leave the keys behind.

Before moving day, make sure you know what you’re supposed to do with your old house keys. If you’re renting an apartment or villa, make arrangements with your landlord; if you own your home, remember to check with the real estate agent or the new owners. Also collect all copies of the keys beforehand; from your children, spouse, friends or relatives. Have them ready for the new owners. And don’t forget to have the keys to your new home ready when you arrive.

 

Have detailed driving directions to your new home.

Help out your local tampa movers by having detailed instructions, including where to park, moving companies will appreciate your organization. Also, your friends and family who are helping you move will need to know where to go. Following you may not always work. Moving day isn’t a good day to keep a convoy together!