You’ve just finished your degree and you’re on a complete high, only for it to come crashing down when you realise you now need to move out of your student house. It’s amazing what people can accumulate over three or four years and, if you’ve not had to move much during your degree, the clutter may have really piled up.
Whether you’re moving back home or into a new place, we’re sure you want to make the process as stress-free as possible, and that’s why we’ve created this guide. Have a read and make your move out of university a breeze.
What to take when moving out of university?
Moving out of your university accommodation can be tricky if you don’t know what to prioritise. You will have undoubtedly brought a large number of items to university with you, but what should you take back?
First things first, unless something awful happened to your bedding while you were at university, there should be no reason not to bring that with you. There’s no such thing as a surplus of duvets and pillows – more just make things cosier, no matter where you’re moving out to!
The same principle applies to other useful items like hangers, cleaning products, medicine and everyday bathroom products like shampoo and body wash, kitchen essentials, towels, etc. You can never have too many of any of these.
Just view every item through the lens of “Is this useful? Will I use this wherever I take it next? Or will I throw it away when I unpack everything later?” If it seems useful to you and you will use it in the future, take it with you.
What to leave when moving out of university?
Now that we’ve considered what you should take with you when you move out of university, it’s time to review what you may want to leave behind. While everything in your student accommodation will have memories attached to it, there will be some things that might be better going into the bin instead of a packing box.
Unless you’re into scrapbooking or have a plan of how you’re going to display them, keeping ticket stubs, receipts and wristbands from festivals and events you’ve attended might not be the best idea. While these are small, they can take up a lot of space since they’ll need to be stored in something.
Other items of clutter can also take up space – don’t bring anything home with you that’s broken unless you plan to fix it. If you’ve got clothing that doesn’t fit, is marked or damaged, or that you no longer like, it’s better to get rid of it, rather than holding onto it for sentimental reasons.
Ask yourself the same questions as above and, if you can’t think of a use for the item, and it isn’t a memento or sentimental in some way, we’d recommend getting rid of it.
If you’re struggling with this step, why not try the KonMari method from Marie Kondo to help you declutter.
How to plan your university move
Most student accommodation contracts, whether they’re for university halls or a private-rented student house, end around the 30th June, since new students can often move in from the beginning of July, especially international students. Make a plan for your move out day, or days, so that you are out of your accommodation by the set date. Check your contract for your personal move-out date – yours may be different.
Once your final exams have ended, there’s no reason why you can’t start moving out of your student accommodation in stages; gradually moving out can make the job seem much less overwhelming.
Start by packing away any seasonal items you have – since we’re heading into the summer there’ll be no need for those winter jackets any time soon, so they can be stored away quickly! Use black bin bags for packing clothing and bedding since these allow the contents to be squashed into smaller spaces and can provide cushioning for bulkier items.
We’d recommend packing the things you don’t need first. As you move closer to your move-out day, there will be things that you won’t use again until after you’ve moved. Pictures and books, kitchen stuff and documents – all these things may be less of a priority than other items you own and need to leave out of the packing for now.
Student moving tips
Moving out of university is much more than just putting things into boxes, so we’ve compiled some tips to help you out.
Where to get packaging/cardboard boxes from?
You can get your hands on packaging and cardboard boxes quite easily if you know where to look. Supermarkets and corner shops are often getting rid of boxes and you can always look on websites such as Freecycle or Gumtree for people giving them away. If not, self-storage stores often have packing materials and boxes available for you to buy.
Best packing materials
The best material to pack with to safeguard your belongings is bubble wrap. However, if you don’t have bubble wrap to hand, other less obvious packing materials can be used, such as newspaper, tea towels and hand towels, and even duvet covers and pillow slips.
Packing tips
When packing up your belongings, here are a few suggestions for how you can maximise the space you have and make sure everything arrives in one piece:
- Roll your clothing instead of folding – this takes up less space.
- Store hardware from dismantled furniture, e.g. screws, in resealable bags or Tupperware boxes so you don’t lose them.
- Don’t pack all your heavy items in one box – you either won’t be able to lift it or the bottom will fall through!
- Reinforce your boxes with brown tape around the bottom edges to safeguard against breaking.
- Put small items, such as underwear or jewellery, in your shoes to keep them safe and secure, and save space.
For more packing tips, check out our blog post.
Hiring a van for your move
Sometimes, no matter how much decluttering you’ve done, you may still have too much to transport in a car. For that reason, you might need to hire a van for your move.
If you have a UK driving licence, you can drive a van weighing up to 3.5 tonnes without needing to apply for any extra qualifications. Or you can hire a van from a moving van company.
Renting storage space
Whether you’re moving out for the summer and coming back to university in September, can’t fit all of your belongings back home, or you don’t want to front the cost for a van and are happy to vacate in more than one trip, renting a storage unit could be a great solution.
With flexible storage solutions that enable you to rent your unit for as long or short a time as you need, and 24/7 access, Titan Storage can help make moving out of your student accommodation simple and straightforward. Take a look at our Student Storage solutions.
Discover more student blogs: a guide to moving out of storage, storing your stuff when moving house and top 10 things not to forget when moving into student halls.
