So, the time has come. You’ve approached the end of the school year and finished finals, or maybe you’re graduating and getting ready to leave Athens altogether. It’s an exciting time all around—you’ve either got the summer to relax and decompress from the school year, or you’re about to embark on the next chapter in your adult life. But you’ve still got to move out of that huge three-bedroom college rental home before you can truly part ways with Athens.
One of the few things that nearly everyone can agree on is that moving house can kind of suck. It takes a ton of coordination, hopefully a few sets of extra hands, a veritable mountain of boxes, and an extra dash of luck for good measure. Compound that with any end-of-the-school-year festivities, and you’ve probably got a quick turnaround time to get out of that perfectly-sized apartment around the corner from Ohio University. But don’t worry—we’ve got your back, and we’re here to give you the best tips to successfully move out of your upscale student rental homes and onto whatever lies ahead.
Start Packing Early
One of the best things you can do for yourself leading up to a move is starting to pack early. Now, we’re not recommending that you flip your spacious four-bedroom student rental upside down and have everything in boxes weeks before you move. Instead, begin by packing the things that you’re not going to need to use or access in the weeks leading up to move out. This is usually décor, extra flatware, certain kitchen utensils, books, and anything else that you’re not going to desperately miss seeing for a few weeks.
This stage of the move-out process is also an excellent chance to declutter and get rid of any items that aren’t serving you anymore. That beer pong table was an essential element of your two-bedroom rental with a huge, lush backyard where you hosted some of the best beer pong games known to Athens, but it’s likely not going to see a ton of use if you’re graduating college—donate it, or sell it. Or maybe your interior aesthetic has changed since starting school, and you’re not looking to hold onto all of those random objects. Any chance you can take to purge some of your belongings will lessen the number of things you have to pack.
Also, pro tip: label your boxes. Be as specific as possible so that your future self isn’t left guessing if the immersion blender is in the box labeled “kitchen” or in the box labeled “miscellaneous kitchen stuff.” Make it easy on yourself for when you’re unpacking in your new apartment or home so that you know exactly where everything is.
Don’t Forget to Clean
Once all of the packing is finished, it’s time to clean your rental apartment top to bottom—the kind of deep clean that’s maybe a twice-a-year event. With everything packed and out of the way, it’s going to be way easier to make quick work out of that cool and unique rental home that you’re parting ways with. The goal here is to make it look as close to what it looked like when you moved in originally.
You’ll definitely want to sweep and mop the floors, clean out and wipe down any cabinetry, scrub the shower and tub, and thoroughly dust and vacuum. If you’ve got roommates in a massive five-bedroom student rental, divvy up the work and make some checklists for you and your housemates to go off of. Assign out tasks, carve out dedicated time to complete them, and knock out your portion of the work. You’ll probably want to stock up on some basic cleaning supplies like bleach, surface cleaners, magic erasers, and anything else that you think you might need to leave your off-campus housing with a great location near Ohio University looking better than when you got the keys to it. Before you leave, take photos to document the condition of your apartment or rental home to avoid any potential disputes over the security deposit.
Enlist Some Help
The saying “it takes a village” was surely spoken first in relation to moving house. If there was ever a time to call up friends and bribe them with food and beers in exchange for some help, this is it. Or, if you want to absolve yourself of any and all responsibilities on the day of, you can always hire some movers and leave it to the professionals. If you’re DIYing moving day, you’ll want to find an affordable moving truck rental to help you haul all of your belongings.
You’ll want friends around to help with the heavy lifting—that includes all of your furniture, any appliances like washers or dryers that might be yours, unwieldly mattresses, and all of those overstuffed boxes. The best thing about doing it all yourself vs. hiring movers, is that you’ll ultimately have more control over what gets put where on the moving truck, how things are packed together, and how things are being carried. It’s not that the movers don’t know what they’re doing, it’s just that they don’t know that well-worn sofa is sentimental when they’re handling it.
Saying Goodbye to Your Space
If you’ve lived somewhere for a while and have moved in the past, you know how hard it can be to say goodbye to a space. They’re filled with laughs, tears, and so many memories that they almost become a part of us for a while. Even that uptown rental with a one-year lease can leave a solid impression on you, despite you only being there for one school year. That’s why it’s important to acknowledge those feelings—whether it’s sadness or joy—before you leave your rental for the final time.
Take a moment to reflect on the journey you’ve had within those walls. The growing you’ve done, the fun nights with friends, and even the not-so-fun moments. Make sure you have plenty of photos of your rental housing near Ohio University for when you want to look back on your time in school and all of the good times you had within that space.
While it can seem like an insurmountable task, moving out of your college rental isn’t all that terrible with a little preparation—and soon, you’ll be onto a new chapter.