Though Washington, D.C. can be beautiful in the spring (hello, cherry blossoms), the weather can also turn hot and humid in a flash.
If the thought of moving dozens of boxes full of your college student’s belongings makes you sweat, we’ve got a better idea. While you and your student are off enjoying all that Washington, D.C. has to offer, let Closetbox do the work for you.
No, students, the Closetbox team can’t take your finals for you, but they can make the summer move-out process a whole lot easier. How? By taking care of everything.
Once you have your final exam schedule in hand, call the team at Closetbox to schedule your pick-up appointment. When the date and time arrives, their team of expert logistics professionals will arrive at your dorm and whisk your belongings away to a secure storage unit. When fall semester rolls around, simply let Closetbox know which dorm you want them to deliver your belongings to — it is truly that simple (unlike organic chemistry).
Here’s how you can find summer storage with Closetbox at your college or university:
The George Washington University Summer Storage
Georgetown University Summer Storage
Howard University Summer Storage
American University Summer Storage
The Catholic University of America Summer Storage
University of the District of Columbia Summer Storage
Gallaudet University Summer Storage
Trinity Washington University Summer Storage
Johns Hopkins University Summer Storage
To make the process even simpler, we’ve rounded up some of the best move-out tips from Washington, D.C.-area colleges and universities below.
Don’t wait
It may be tempting to put off packing until the last minute, but that will only create more stress in the end. Who wants to pull an all-nighter packing when you just finished pulling all-nighters studying for finals?
Daniel Marshall, a resident advisor and the residential living chair for the Georgetown University Student Association, recommends taking strategic study breaks. This will help keep you from burning out on studying, while also eliminating the stress of last-minute packing and cleaning.
“Even though final exams last from early to mid-May, most people have large gaps of time in between their exams,” he says. “I always suggest that your study breaks be some combination of packing and cleaning up your rooms so that you don’t have to freak out about it during the actual move-out day.”
Shop smart
OK, this tip may seem super obvious, but it’s one that Marshall always shares with the residents of his dorm: Don’t buy perishable food items after May 1 (or a few weeks before the end of the semester, if your classes run later than Georgetown’s).
“Unless you know you will finish all of your food, you will just feel wasteful having to throw away your brand new carton of half-and-half or your two pints of Ben and Jerry’s,” he says.
Make time for friends
With your parents arriving in town and all the hubbub of moving out, it can be easy to overlook what really matters. Don’t forget to spend a few minutes saying goodbye to your roommates, resident advisors and your friends before everyone parts ways for the summer. Make plans to Skype or visit each other now, before the summer gets too busy.
“Move-out day is super important to get to say goodbye to friends for the summer,” Marshall says. “Or, in the case of your friends that are going abroad, for the next several months.”
Recycle boxes
When you’re ready to start packing, remember that there are tons of ways to score free or cheap boxes — no need to spend a fortune on cardboard.
Similarly, when you’re moving back into the dorms next fall, don’t throw those moving boxes in the trash, Marshall says. Someone, somewhere will gladly take them off your hands, or you may want to break them down and stash them in your closet for next year.
Get some green
If you were planning on throwing that calculus textbook into the trash after your final exam (why do they make the test questions so much more difficult than the ones on the study guide?!), take a deep breath and put the book down.
Most university bookstores will let you sell back your gently used books so that other students can use them next year. At Howard University, for example, you can get up to 50 percent cash back on your books. Pro tip: The earlier you can sell your books, the more cash they’ll give you.
Label, label, label
In the last-minute rush to pack everything, you might be tempted to just start tossing items randomly into boxes — don’t. Parents, this goes for you too!
Consider the frustration you’ll feel come August on your first night back in the dorms when you can’t find your towels, your sheets or your shower caddy. Take the time to pack your belongings together in a way that makes sense — then label, label, label. You can never be too descriptive when it comes to labeling what’s inside that mystery cardboard box.
Walk-through
Once you’ve scheduled your Closetbox pick-up date and time, pay a visit to your resident advisor to schedule a move-out inspection.
At The Catholic University of America, all dorm rooms are inspected for damage or out-of-the-ordinary cleaning needs. The university encourages students to make appointments, as the end of the semester is a busy time with thousands of students moving out.
Be sure to wipe down your desk, vacuum and rearrange the furniture so the room looks the same as the day you moved in last fall. If your roommate is staying a few days later than you are, draw up an agreement about which cleaning tasks each of you will take on.
