It is now officially the time of year where everyone becomes obsessed with cleaning. Spring cleaning isn’t just a fad and can be more than just “Marie Kondo-ing”: it’s a great way to re-organize, declutter and change your living space.
If you’re a first-year university student, you are probably moving home soon. Whether you’re local to your school or live across the country, packing can be a bit of a daunting task. With these 10 tips, spring cleaning and packing can be a breeze.
- Sort Through Your Paperwork
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As students, we create a lot of paperwork over the course of a year. Try to sort through your assignments and recycle those you no longer wish to keep — it helps if you keep them organized throughout the year. Even better, keep a digital copy of all your assignments and essays to avoid accumulating waste.
- Sort Your Garbage/Recycling
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Moving often means disposing of large amounts of waste. Sorting out your garbage and recycling is not only the responsible thing to do, it will make your moving more organized. Be sure to dispose of your waste in the proper receptacles as well.
- Sell/Donate Your Old Textbooks
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Once you’ve finished your exams and essays, sell your textbooks back to your university/college’s buy-back program. Many institutions also have Facebook groups specifically for selling textbooks to other students. This is a great way for you to make a little cash while helping out your fellow students. If neither of those options suit you, there are often donation bins on campus or in residence buildings where you can donate your textbooks to charity!
- Start Taking Stuff Home Early
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Depending on how often you go home, plan to take a small bags worth of your belongings with you. These small trips will add up quickly and will leave you with less during your actual move out. Coordinating during Easter Weekend is a prime time. If you’re unable to make any trips home yourself, try coordinating with friends or parents/guardians for help.
- Donate Unwanted Goods/Food
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Maybe you have a pair of ripped jeans that are no longer on-trend or the duvet you bought won’t fit your bed at home. You may also have some leftover unopened food like peanut butter or canned soup. Donate any unwanted goods and food to charity or your local grocery store to avoid waste and help others in need.
- Clean Your Room
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Yes, residence rooms can be small in size, but they get dirty surprisingly fast. Vacuum your room to eliminate dust and dirt, and mop your floors. If you don’t have access to a mop, use a sponge to scrub it Cinderella-style. If you have your own sink and bathroom, try scrubbing the surfaces down with disinfectant wipes. The end of the year is a crazy time for residence custodial staff, so your help is greatly appreciated. Leaving your room in the condition that it was upon your arrival at the beginning of the year is the respectful and responsible thing to do.
- Pack Clothing in Drawstring Garbage Bags
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If you have blazers, blouses and dresses that need to be hung, keep them in good condition by storing them on their hangers for transport. Buy large drawstring garbage bags and place the clothing inside of it. When the bag is full, wrap the drawstrings around the hangers and tie it shut. Once home, you’ll be able to remove the clothing pretty much wrinkle-free. Reuse the garbage bags again for when/if you move again.
- Use Vacuum/Space Bags
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This is something I only started using this year and has been quite helpful considering I’ve spent three years of my undergrad living in residence. Vacuum/space bags can be relatively cheap and are reusable. They are a great way to store bulky belongings like bedding, jackets and sweaters, which leaves you with more space for other belongings.
- Invest in a Hand Truck/Dolly
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These small carts are a great ergonomic way to move large and heavy objects with ease. Suitcases and large Tupperware boxes can be stacked together, and that allows you to move multiple items at once. This greatly speeds up the general move out process.
- Pack Essentials Last
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During all the chaos that can occur during a move out, it is important to keep your essential stuff separate. Things like your cellphone charger, laptop, make-up, toothbrush and keys are important things that could mess up the move out process if you can’t locate them. Keep your shoes and clothes for the day separate too!
By following these steps, not only will you get a jumpstart on your annual spring cleaning, but you will hopefully have an easier and more enjoyable moving out process!