<p>Last summer we had threads talking about dorm move in. What about move out? I'll bring boxes and garbage bags, I guess some sort of cleaning product. What am I forgetting to make dorm move out as effecient as possible? (Stuff will be coming home in car - not in storage.)</p>
<p>Send the parent who is the most organized to help with the job! I didn’t go last year, if you get my drift. De-clutter before you come home, not after. Don’t bring home stuff that your student does not want next year and that you have no need for at home. If he/she plans to sell textbooks, do it before you leave (your S/D may be able to do that before you arrive). If you have outgrown clothes or linens to give away, find a Goodwill or a donation bin in the college town so you won’t waste car space. For packing, we like those huge Zip-loc bags. They come in several sizes of huge, and they last a long time. Soft items like bedding and clothes lay flat when you squeeze out the air (you don’t need special “space bags”). The best part of move-out is figuring out how much unnecessary stuff you brought in the fall. </p>
<p>Be prepared for your S/D to be tired from exams and farewell celebrating. That might affect the energy level.</p>
<p>Everything that went into that room must come out!!!</p>
<p>Lay down the law with your child and don’t accept studying for finals as an excuse.
Tell them they are expected to have their things packed and their room cleaned up before you get there.
There is no reason you have to wade through trash and dusty and dirty floors, bathrooms etc when you are moving out. Believe me, I have been there and I have girls.
OTOH - last year, my youngest did all the legwork and cleaning. It was so nice and easy!
All we had to do was finish packing some boxes I brought and finish cleaning the walls.</p>
<p>If your child is relatively close - a few hours or less; some parents make a “pre-move out trip” and bring home the initial load of “stuff”. This declutters the room and makes the final clean up easier. </p>
<p>Next - what to do with the stuff when they get home??? This is the biggest case for having them rent an apartment and living there in the summer. You will lose your garage and every available space, especially if you live in a small house like me.</p>
<p>This will be the 4th year for us bringing goaliegirl home from boarding school. </p>
<p>One of the things I’ve learned it that “stuff” that is not packed efficiently expands approximately 25-33%. Don’t know if you will be challenged in packing the vehicle, but for us on a 1000+ mile ride home, every cubic inch counts.</p>
<p>To that end, I also pack a small roll (6" wide) of that plastic wrap stuff that you can get at U-haul (about $15). For bulky things such as comforters and foam bed pads that can be rolled and squished, this stuff can keep it compacted saving lots of space. Additionally, if you have a bunch of pole type things to pack (for us it is hockey sticks, shower rods (for hanging clothes in closet) and swiffer pole), it helps to bundle them. If you have to use a roof rack or trailer basket for stuff, wrapping the items helps in case of rain.</p>
<p>I have a couple of boxes that paper comes in to pack books.</p>
<p>Pressure your kid to find out whether they can store some of their stuff at school, and to actually go store it.</p>
<p>I’ve never moved my daughter out of her dorm. Freshman year, she came home prior to the end of the year, took a car back (5 hour drive) and did it herself. Sophomore year, she had a clunker at school. This year, she’ll move from one apt to another, again, with the help of her friends. To me, it’s a life skill she should be able to handle on her own.</p>
<p>Not returning, so it all must come home!</p>
<p>eww- not thinking about this.
Considering that there have been several trips this year to * bring* more stuff, she has way more than the first weekend.
However- she is planning on moving into a house, and crossing my fingers that at least one of her roommates is already living where they will be staying- then she can maybe store it there in the basement, till she moves in.</p>
<p>Um, cleaning supplies? We got the “stuff” out–our expectation was that the college cleans the rooms between years, and that our responsibility stopped at clearing it out.</p>
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<p>How about…if you’re worried they won’t be ready, arrange to be there on the last day they can move out and let the school get mad at them if they aren’t ready by the proper checkout time?</p>
<p>At this point, I think students should learn on their own about the importance of getting the room ready, and face the consequences of their actions if they are behind.</p>
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<p>Many colleges don’t go through and clean the rooms after the student moves out and when summer camps move in. They require the students clean the rooms before leaving, otherwise, they charge the student for the cost of cleaning.</p>
<p>–Bags take up less room than boxes and can be squooshed to fit into the car.<br>
–Our kids like the big Ziploc bags because you can push down on them to release the air and make it a bit more compact. They also use plastic garbage bags.
–Throw out what he/she doesn’t use. Don’t bother to pack it up. Rather, throw it out at the dorm. If they didn’t use it this year, they’re probably not going to use it next year.<br>
–If you plan on replacing the mattress pad, comforter, and/or pillows next year, then throw out the old stuff at the dorm. Don’t pack it up or bring it home.
–If your child plans on selling the books back to the bookstore, have him/her do it the week before.
–Definitely make sure that your child has the RA sign off on the condition of the room. Remind the student to read it over thoroughly and only sign it if they agree with the report.
–Demand that your child have most everything packed up and ready to go BEFORE you arrive.</p>
<p>–You really don’t have to bring cleaning supplies. As long as you get all of the crap out of the room, pick up any garbage/paper on the floor, and remove any adhesive hooks, you’re good to go. Maintenance will come in and give all the rooms a good cleaning before the next group of kids moves in. Neither of my kids have ever been charged a “cleaning fee” but I suppose other schools may have a different policy.</p>
<p>After the first year, we tossed the moving responsibility onto them. They each have a used car. They pack it up, drive themselves to school (one about 7½ hrs. away, the other about 3½ hrs. away), lug it into their dorm/or apt., and set it up the way they want. At the end of the year, they have to pack it all up and drive home. I end up sorting through the stuff once it all comes back. I wash everything and repack it so it’s ready to go again for the fall.</p>
<p>My daughter’s school requires the room to be cleaned. Even the walls and they will get charged for having black marks on the walls. Each school does seem to be different here, so you need to find out the standards.</p>
<p>Also - your child needs to get the room checked while he/she is still there. Otherwise you might be fighting a charge for a mess that is not theirs.</p>
<p>Best. cleaning. tool. ever. = Mr Clean Magic Eraser.
go to Sam’s Club or Costco or BJ’s and buy them in bulk. </p>
<p>bigtrees - right you are, unless Mom and Dad will be stuck with a huge cleaning bill. Also a lot of students (esp freshmen) totally under-estimate the amount of time they need to pack up, sort out, throw away and clean.</p>
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<p>Mom and Dad don’t have to pay any bills they don’t want to, because the student’s account is billed and not the parents. If the student refuses to pay, the school will withhold transcripts and diplomas (and bar the student from registering for future classes) until the student decides to pay.</p>
<p>It’s a good learning lesson in life.</p>
<p>Bring your own vacuum cleaner so you don’t have to wait for the dorm one. The RA had to check the room before my son could leave and having the floor swept seemed to be the number one issue.</p>
<p>Cleaning products is a great idea, depending on the school and their policies. Last year my s’d dorm room was immaculate when he left (he even got the vacuum cleaner!!!) but they STILL tried to charge us $100 for some carpet stain!!! I negotiated it down to $40 I believe, but it was still absurd. If I’d known, I’d have brought a can of carpet cleaner and saved myself the cost and aggravation. This year we took lots of pictures of the dorm room at move in–waitng to see what nonsense they try to charge us for.</p>
<p>Bring a portable hand cart!!! Much easier to move plastic tubs/boxes/etc out of the dorm.</p>
<p>Izzie is right about the vacuum----BYOV! My D had said—oh yeah mom–I am packed. Right. So not packed.</p>
<p>I had brought black trash bags—lots of them so we just chucked the stuff in those- but I do think you should bring a couple of boxes or plastic bins for the breakable stuff—sorority drinkware-frames-trinkets-etc. It was a long walk to the car from the dorm and waiting for a dolly was also an issue- so you may want to bring one of your own.</p>
<p>We used those 3M strips to hang stuff in the room…do they really come off as easily as the packaging says, or do we need to bring something special ( a razor blade) to get them off the wall?</p>
<p>Re: Cleaning supplies and toiletries: I tell my D to not pack and store any liquid items. The ninety-nine cent bottle of dish soap that oozes out and gets on clothing, bedding and the like gets very, very expensive. Fine to store the dry stuff, but give away, toss or recycle anything wet. </p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder on the super large ziploc bags – does anyone carry them besides Target?</p>
<p>We got the 3M strips off as advertised, but you have to follow the directions. It isn’t intuitive.</p>