Now that the worst of the COVID-19 shutdowns are over, college students across the country have returned to on-campus living—which has multiple advantages, but does introduce a few extra challenges (most of which predate social distancing) to the college experience. One of which is: when it’s time to go home for the summer, do you haul all your campus-life possessions with you (and then back for the next term)? Or do you save yourself that trouble by storing things in your college town? Today, we’ll explain the benefits of college storage services.
To Store or Not to Store?
You may want to take everything home if:
- Home is within a few hours’ drive
- You and your family are certain everything will still fit at home (empty space fills up in the original user’s absence, and you’ll have accumulated additional possessions at college)
- You can handle the work alone or with the help of whomever you’re riding with (your college friends will be busy with their own packing)
You should consider storing things in your college town if:
- You’ll be traveling by public transportation
- Your things include desks, non-folding chairs, or other bulky furniture
- There’s any doubt that back-home space will be adequate
- You (or your parents) don’t see any point in bringing things home to just sit around for two or three months
Do Your Homework on College Storage Options
Few students are lucky enough to have either a college-town friend with extra storage space, or any place for on-campus storage. So, your best option will be a for-profit local storage unit.
Don’t just call the first place that pops up in a quick online search: not all “professional” storage services are reliable, and not every reliable one will be right for you. Check each option’s website and other online mentions, and consider:
- Do e-reviews, local social media, or the Better Business Bureau record any complaints against this service? How serious and well-verified are the complaints?
- How do the storage service’s costs (and value) compare to your budget?
- Do their security measures, storage capacity, and climate control match your needs?
- Do they have experience specifically with summer storage for college students?
- Will they pick up your things, or are you expected to bring everything over?
And once you pinpoint an option or options, talk with them directly and visit their facilities before committing.
One thing is certain: even if your rented unit is a block away and offers pickup services, there will be some packing and hauling. So once you’ve chosen your storage site:
Pack up Practically
“Cramming”—procrastinating for days and then trying to stuff all the work into a few hours—is as bad an idea for moving as for exams. Even if the storage service is doing the hauling, you’re still responsible for most of the taking down and boxing up; and doing that in a rush is a quick route to stress, fatigue, breakage, and losing things you really need to take home. Not to mention extra difficulty unpacking and sorting when you start the next college term.
Start packing a couple of weeks in advance, a few things a day, beginning with things you know you won’t need again before next term. Make time to properly organize everything and protect fragile items. And consider what you might not need to keep at all: even a three-month college term is time enough to impulsively purchase three shelves’ worth of things you’ll never use, which aren’t worth the storage charges. While organizing your boxes, make separate piles of things to discard or give to charity. Consider that your first step in cutting free for summer!
For All Your College Storage Needs
If Knoxville is your college town, Fox Moving and Storage Knoxville can be your student storage provider. We have 20,000 square feet of carefully organized, climate-controlled space for everything from spare computers to easy chairs. Plus, being Fox Moving and Storage, we’ll even pick up your belongings personally—and deliver them to your next student-housing location when the new term starts. Contact us to learn more!