It's almost fall, and move-in season is sneaking up on college students across the nation. Here are some tips and tricks from a professional mover to make your move-in experience a bit more accommodating. From house to house to dorm to apartment to, yes, another apartment this upcoming fall, I've gleaned a few tips and tricks on making move-ins as painless as possible!
1. Don't pack up and fold your clothes
Hanging clothes can be bunched into groups of 10-15, depending on the size and mass, and then bagged into garbage bags with the tips of the hangers still on the rack, garment bag style. This means you can lay the clothes flat in your moving bin or car and hang them right back up in proper order once you've reached your new place. This cuts down on literal hours of packing/unpacking, folding/unfolding during moves, and has made my life so much easier!2. Go in shifts
If at all possible, don't try to move everything all at once. Space your move out over a few days if your leases overlap. If you have a car you can borrow for a few days before the big moving day, start packing it early. If you have to make the move all at once, make sure you've packed before the time comes so you can just load and unload.
3. Zones are a thing
Don't pack for the place you have, pack for where you're going to; if you pack all your belongings as they are in your dorm, they might not end up in the right places in your apartment. You might have a kitchen in your apartment, but your microwave was with your books in your smaller dorm. If you have a floor plan picture, pack boxes for where you want them to end up in your new place, and then you can unpack without searching through your shoes for your toilet plunger4. Keep your blood sugar up
Angry hunger happens in everyday life, but will happen a whole lot faster if you're moving heavy boxes all day. Set aside a solid hour during the day to sit down, rest your feet, and eat a solid meal. Your roommates and family will thank you for it!5. Clean as you go
When moving out, don't leave the final clean-up for when all of your stuff is packed. As you pack certain areas, clean along as your belongings go into the box. That way, once the packing is done, you won't have the huge task of cleaning the entire place, too!
6. Check your lease weeks beforehand
Don't call into your leasing office or talk to your RA/CA two days before move out or move in; make sure your ducks are in a row with any questions or concerns you may have way before any damages or cleaning charges are applied to your account. It's so much easier to fix something before you move out than to dispute charges afterwards, and the office workers will thank you for making their crazy moving season that much more organized.7. Stay sane
No matter your move out/in situation, it's likely things will go wrong. The air conditioning might break, you might lose a box, there might be traffic. Try your best to keep your cool; losing your cool with someone trying to help you will spoil the entire day! Moving is supposed to be exciting and fun, not an emotional disaster. If things get stressful, take a moment to walk away, breathe, and remind yourself that maybe it's not worth it to cry over a bath mat (not that I've done that... never.)Good luck, y'all! May your bedrooms look cute and your move in days be easy as pie. Remember: garbage bags can do anything and community assistants are human, too.
