Guide to Storage for College-Bound Students

Making your first move as a college-bound student? All My Sons Moving & Storage offers storage solutions to help preserve your treasures as you get settled into this next phase of life.  

Your childhood bedroom is full to the bursting with memories you cherish, from childhood memorabilia items to your collections of photo albums. Now you aim to move to the next phase of life, and you’re wondering if you should rent storage while you’re away at school. Storage can be a great solution when you have limited space in a dorm or off-campus apartment, but which option is right for you? 

All My Sons Moving & Storage has been helping individuals, families, and companies manage life’s many transitions for over 30 years. We believe that things matter, and we aim to treat your prized possessions as if they belonged to beloved members of our own family. Allow us to help guide you through renting storage as a college student.

Before you sign a contract, you should carefully weigh all the pros and cons of the storage options available to you. All My Sons has a list of questions to consider before renting storage, but college students have some specific factors to take into account.

Here are some questions to help you decide if renting storage before college is the right decision for you. 

1. Will your family be clearing out your room?

Some young adults will always have a childhood bedroom waiting for them at home. For others, this is no longer a viable storage solution. Maybe your parents are making a move for empty nesters into a smaller home, or they have specific plans for your childhood bedroom now that you’re no longer living in it. 

2. How far away is your school?

Will you be going to a community college near your family home or high-tailing it across the country as far away from Mom and Dad as possible? If you are moving some distance away, you might choose to rent storage closer to your school so that your items are more accessible to you. 

3. Do you intend to return home after college?

Take some time to think about what your plans are after college before you make a storage rental decision. Renting storage space close to home might make sense if you intend to return home after college. Keep in mind that plans might change with a sudden job offer or an emergency back home.

4. What items do you intend to store? 

Looking to hang onto holiday decorations, heirloom furniture, or your collection of books? Knowing what items you intend to put into storage will help you determine what kind of access you need, the size of unit you need to rent, and whether or not you need special amenities like climate control or drive-up access. 

5. How much money do you have in your monthly budget?

Storage units can range from $35 a month for a small unit to $213 a month for an extra-large unit. Over the four years or longer that you are in college, this can compound into a pretty sum. It may be more economical to sell or donate some items and replace them later rather than store them. Carefully consider the monetary and sentimental value of each item you are thinking about storing. 

In the event you were no longer able to pay for the unit, what would you do? Making a quick settlement move-out will be difficult if you have moved several states away. Do you have family or friends still in the area who would be willing to assist in the event you needed to move out?

Now that you’re considering all the variables that go into renting storage, it’s time to look at what solutions would work best for you. Consider your access needs and what items you intend to store carefully so you can move into the right unit for you. 

Self-Storage Units

When you imagine renting a storage unit, a self-storage facility is probably the first thing that comes to mind. At a self-storage facility, you rent a unit at a dedicated facility where you can access your belongings as needed. Typically you would have a month to month contract, and can rent anything from a small locker to an extra-large drive-up unit.

These are some of the units available at a self-storage facility.

• Storage Lockers: Units under five feet tall designed only to house just a few boxes. You would not be able to store any furniture in them. 

• Drive-Up Storage Units: These units are on the outside edge of the building so that you can easily drive up with a truck or trailer. These units are ideal for hardy items that you might need to access often.

• Indoor Storage Units: Units inside the facility that may be more difficult to access because of stairs or doorways. These units will be less expensive.

• Climate Controlled Storage Units: These units are regulated to ensure optimal conditions for storing. This is ideal for sensitive items like electronics, vinyl records, and disc media collections. 

Portable Storage Containers

A company delivers a storage container to your home. You would keep the storage container in your driveway and fill the container at your own pace. When you are ready, the company pick up the storage container and delivers it to a secure warehouse. Or the company can deliver the container to your destination, depending on your plan for the items. Access will be limited with this option. In order to retrieve anything from the container, you will need to request to have it redelivered.

Full-Service Storage

Can’t be bothered to pack the unit? Look for full-service storage solutions. Movers will come to your location, pick up your items intended for storage, and then load them into a storage unit for you. This option works great for anyone that might have trouble physically loading a storage unit. Access is limited though, and you will have to request a delivery if you want to get anything out of storage.

Now that you’ve decided on a storage solution that works for your situation, it’s time to start preparing for the storage move. Take a little extra time before your move into storage to ensure your items are safe for the long haul by following these five major steps for moving into storage.

1. Declutter and Downsize 

The fastest way to save time, money, and space is to ensure everything going into storage is worth its weight in gold. Declutter and downsize the items in your family room by sorting them into the following categories. 

• Keep: These are the items that belong right where you are. Everything in this pile should be essential to daily independent living or too sentimental to part with. This box will come with you to the dorm or to your off-campus apartment. Keep in mind that you have limited space, so these should be the absolute must-haves.

• Sell: Extra money will be hard to come by during your college years. Unwanted items in great condition could fetch a fair price on OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace. Brand-name clothing and shoes can go to a local consignment store. Vintage toys or games might find a home at a specialty hobby store. 

• Donate: Items that are still in good condition that you don’t desire to keep could help someone in need. You can give to a local cause close to your heart or find a national drop-off for Goodwill or Salvation Army.

• Discard: Items that are not in good condition or that would be meaningless to another person should be responsibly discarded. If you have large unwanted items, you can call a same-day junk removal company like Junk.com to come get the item and responsibly dispose of it. 

• Store: At the end of your evaluation, the items you’re not sure what to do with will be your contenders for storage. They’re too sentimental to part with, but there’s not enough space for them at the dorm. Organize these items into well-labeled boxes and bins and proceed.

2. Purge Items You Should Not Store 

Every storage facility has a list of items that you should not store in your unit. These items can pose a safety risk or prove too much of a liability issue for your storage facility to take accountability for them. These items include the following.

• Cash and Valuables: Money, fine art, and expensive jewelry is best stored in a bank safety deposit box or vault, not in a storage unit. 

• Explosives: Combustible items are typically not allowed in a storage facility for obvious reasons. One stray spark and the whole facility could be in danger.

• Corrosive Chemicals: Paint thinner, bleach, ammonia, nail polish remover, and acids. Chemicals can let off toxic fumes that endanger people working at or visiting the storage facility. 

• Living or Dead Things: No pets, plants, cremated ashes, and definitely don’t let any people, including yourself, sleep in your storage unit. Storage units do not have good ventilation, running water, or electricity, and living in one is illegal in all 50 states.

You will have to make a contingency plan for any items you’d like to keep that fall on the list of items you should not store. 

3. Prepare Items for Storage 

When items are out of sight, it’s easy to forget about them and assume they’re safe, but storage units are still susceptible to the dangers of wear and tear. Light, temperature, moisture, pests, and gravity can all impact your items while they sit in storage. Keep your items extra safe by preparing them for storage.

• Ensure Items are Clean and Dry: Mold and mildew can grow in a dark, musty storage unit, damaging items. Make sure everything going into storage is properly washed, dusted, free of food particles, and fully dry. 

• Remove Batteries from Electronics: Batteries may leak and their acid can corrode the insides of your electronic items. Remove all batteries, wrap and label cords, and add silica gel packets to boxes with electronics to cut down on moisture around your delicate circuit boards.

• Pack Items in Appropriate Containers: Standard moving boxes might work well for a few months, but best to pack items in weatherproof containers if they will be in storage for a year or more.

• Label All Boxes and Bins: Don’t forget which box your beloved plush dinosaur went into. To avoid losing track of items or tearing open boxes frantically searching in the future always label your boxes in as much detail as possible.

4. Create a Storage Inventory 

If you have time before your move, creating an inventory of items going into storage will help you keep track of everything. Keep a list of what items are going into which boxes, and roughly what their condition is. This storage inventory can even prove useful after the move in the event of a storage disaster or an accident. 

5. Organize Your Storage Unit

Once you have your unit ready, organize your storage unit well so that it’s easy to navigate, especially if you plan to access your items often. Map the unit by ease of access, leave space to walk into and out of the unit, and ensure all your boxes and bins have clearly readable labels. 

With your storage unit fully packed, it’s time to register for class and start your next assignment: Learning with excellence!

Ready to relocate for college? All My Sons Moving & Storage would be proud to help you get settled into this next chapter of your life. We’ll take items local to the dorm for the state school near home or long-distance to the dream university across the country. We even offer storage solutions to help ease the transition and keep your childhood treasures safe. Get a quote and make this next move with help from the professionals.