College marks a large period of transition for many young people. When you’re transition to a new school, or need a place to store your goods for the summer months renting a storage unit can definitely come in handy. Even with all of the planning you do, it’s easy to end up with a surplus of extra items on your hands when the school year is over, with no place to store them.
Below you’ll find our best tips for choosing the right storage unit for your college student, when extra storage space is needed.
1. Find The Right Facility
If you’re a student there’s a good chance you’re on a budget. For this reason you’ll want to give yourself time to do your research and shop around for the perfect unit for your needs.
Some Alexandria self-storage facilities end up offering discounts during the summer months, which will help to make your decision easier.
If possible, it’s always a good idea to book your unit ahead of time. This will make the packing and moving transition much easier, and will ensure you have a secure spot for your belongings.
2. Choose The Right Sized Unit
What size storage unit are you going to need for all of your goods?
Most students opt for the smallest possible size, but it’s important that you take note of all of your items you’d like to store. After all, you’d hate to run out of space just as you’re finished loading your unit.
In some cases you can share your storage unit with friends, but often you can only have one name on the lease, so you’ll need to trust every party involved. Another great benefit to students are the flexible lease dates that most Alexandria self storage companies offer.
Whether you need your unit for one-month, six-months, or longer most facilities are willing to accommodate.
3. Effectively Preparing Your Items
Some of the items you own will require extensive preparation before they can be stored for a long period of time.
For instance if you have a mini-fridge you’ll need to de-frost, clean, and dry your fridge before storage to prevent mildew buildup.
Any musical instruments also need to undergo prep work, along with any other wooden furniture you might own.
If you’re storing any textbook or paper products it’s a good idea to store these in boxes, or plastic containers that will prevent them from being damaged.
Depending on the weather in your area it might be a good idea to opt for a climate controlled storage unit, if possible, as these will ensure your items don’t become damaged from inclement weather.
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I found it interesting when you said about considering the size of the storage unit you need for all your belongings to make sure that you will not be going to run out of space just as you’re finished loading your unit. My nephew is going to college and I think that having an extra space for his belonging would be great. I will advise him about the advantage of having a self-storage.
You made a great point about choosing the right size unit. As a college student, I know I would have loved to go for the smallest since I didn’t have a lot of things that I would be keeping in there, but I can see how, even then, I would have had a lot of room left over. I understand that it would be beneficial to share the unit at that point.
I thought it was helpful that you mentioned you will want to defrost and clean your mini-fridge before storage. I feel like that alone could prevent damage. I’ve also heard that you can store you items in climate controlled units. What types of items would you want to use that for?
My little sister is starting college soon and she is moving to a different state so she will not be able to store anything at our family home. It is interesting that you say some storage units will actually offer discounts during summer months so I will make sure to have my sister plan ahead so she can get the best deal possible! Also, it makes sense that you should choose the right sized unit and make sure that you will not run out of space because that will just create stress and take double the amount of time. I will make sure my sister chooses the right size so she can focus on her classes and have less stress worrying about her unit.
Thank you for the advice on researching thoroughly in order to find a storage unit that a college student will be able to afford and work with at the same time. I will mention this to my brother since he is planning to move in with a few friends for his college studies. He plans on taking a lot of his stuff with him, so it was good that I saw this. He needs a storage unit that is good enough for the budget of a working student.
It makes sense that some items would need to be prepared before they could be put in storage. We have a son who is coming home from college but will be returning in a few months. Getting him to prepare his stuff and then finding a mini storage unit for him to put it in would probably be a wise thing to do so he doesn’t have to bring everything home.
It never occurred to me that I would have to prepare my items for long-term storage, I just thought that I could stick them in the locker and not have to think about it! I am finding myself short on space in my college dorm and I am doing some research into other ways to store some of my things to clear up my dorm room! I will be sure to access what stuff I want to put in storage and make sure that it is safe and protected while in storage!
You make a great point that a self-storage unit can be great for college students because my daughter will be able to store extra items when she comes home to visit during the summer. This way she won’t have to bring extra suitcases back and forth. I think that it is very important that my daughter choose a unit that has security and will keep her items safe because this will give me peace of mind.
I like how you mentioned that you should take note of all the possessions you’ll be placing in storage and how much space they need. My friend is transferring to a college in Idaho, so she’s been thinking of storing her extra belongings in a storage unit. Do you have any tips for finding a good facility in her area?
You make a great point that when looking for a self-storage unit you should try to book it ahead of time because this will save money and help you to stay within your budget. I am looking for a storage unit because I am going on a long vacation this summer and I appreciate that you say to choose the right sized storage unit. I want to get a unit that is within my budget but large enough to hold all of my items while I am gone.
Thanks for pointing out that we can share a unit with our friends, but there will only be one name in the lease. I think I would still share with my friends because we all need to move out of the dormitory during the vacation since it is the policy. We just do not want to bring everything back to our houses since it can be a hassle.
I like how you said that most students get a self-storage unit that is as small as possible. We have a son who is in college and he’ll be coming home for the next summer. Getting him a little self-storage unit that he could keep his things in rather than bringing home would be really helpful.
It really helped when you said that we should be booking the unit way before we need it to make the move and the packing easier. I will share this tip with my friend since she lives the farthest from the university. That is the reason why she will be renting a unit because she doesn’t plan to bring all of her things home just for the holidays.