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Moving Tips and Tricks

• Bring a Hand Truck or Dolly

  For elevator buildings and first-floor dwellings, hand trucks and dollies are excellent for transporting items of every size. Some schools will have these fellas available on move-in day but there definitely won’t be enough to go around so consider purchasing or renting one. (You can be nice and share with other harried parents once you are finished.) Simply stack your items on, tilt, pull and let the wheels do the rest.

• Consider Wardrobe Boxes

  Shoving your child’s clothes into garbage bags may be tempting but it will take more time to unpack, refold, reiron and hang everything than it would if you used a wardrobe box – a tall box equipped with a rod to hang clothing from. Instead of lugging bags of sure-to-be-wrinkled pants and tees, all clothing arrives just as it was packed: neatly.

• Wear Comfortable Shoes/Clothing

  If move-in day falls on a Sunday, feel free NOT to wear your Sunday best: By the end of the day, you’ll be equal parts sweaty, dirty and achy so you might as well be those things in your most comfortable clothing. Jeans are your best bet on the bottom – if it’s hot, though, by all means wear shorts! – and a t-shirt is fine for on top but try to avoid wearing anything with lots of excess material or anything you would hate to see ruined. For footwear, sneakers are the way to go because they provide the greatest traction and protect your feet in case anything falls on them; flip flops may be your shoes of choice in the summer but it’s much easier to slip on the stairs or injure your toes while wearing them.

• Utilize Under-Bed Organizers and Other Storage Solutions

  Typically, the only storage college students have is a closet and small dresser but you can help your child increase that space by getting a little creative. Retailers sell TONS of storage options for small spaces and many of these items can have dual uses depending on where you place them. For example, one or two three-drawer plastic dressers can store clothing while also serving as a television stand and four milk crates can be both a bookcase and a coffee table. Other options like vacuum bags, collapsible hanger systems and off-the-ground storage like removable hooks and shelves also maximize useable floor space and overall square footage so your child will be able to sleep, study and entertain without feeling like any sudden movement could trigger an avalanche of their belongings.

• Cleaning Supplies - Use Them Liberally

  Crews come in during the summer and thoroughly clean all university buildings but with so many rooms to clean, sometimes they can miss a few spots. Hundreds of students have probably lived in your child’s room up to this point so bringing a variety of cleaning products and performing a light scrub before isn’t a bad idea. Swiff the floors, Windex the windows, Lysol desk surfaces and doorknobs, put liners in dresser.