‘Tis the Season for Student Self-Storage!

Over the course of a single school term, year or a full college or university program, a student can sure accumulate a lot of stuff…parents you know exactly what we’re talking about!

Student housing, both on and off campus, is not typically generous in the ‘space’ department. This means that most of a student’s belongings end up at home in their parent’s basements, attics, garages or in their childhood bedroom. That’s a long time to have stuff sitting around and taking up space, which let’s be honest parents, you really want to reclaim and use as functional space of your own.

Student self-storage has continued to gain popularity with both students and parents over the years. A self-storage unit is perfect for storing student items like:

• Furniture
• Bedding
• Mattress
• Dishes
• Mini-fridge and other small appliances
• Textbooks
• School supplies
• Off-season clothing
• Bicycles
• Sporting equipment

And it’s not just in the summer between school terms (when they move in and out of dorm rooms or off-campus housing or sublet because they are coming home or traveling), that they are using a self-storage facility as a secure storage solution for their belongings. Students and their families are finding self-storage useful all throughout their college and university programs. We’re even seeing an increase in new graduates using self-storage to help make the transition from student-life to a career and building an independent life outside of their childhood home. 

December is a popular time for student self-storage. Once exams are written and assignments are turned in, students travel home for the holidays, often arriving with more than just dirty laundry and Christmas gifts. After excited hugs are exchanged, it’s time to find a place to put the stuff they have no room for at school. This is usually more challenging this time of year because homes tend to be more cramped and disorganized over the holidays (and with everything they have accumulated over the last year). Because there is no more room to spare at home, students and parents turn to self-storage because they instantly and affordably get more space. 

To help make student self-storage super easy, here are some tips & tricks:

1. Keep a master list of the contents in each box or area of your unit so that finding what you need is easy & fast.
2. Not everything is suited for self-storage. Check out what not to store in self-storage unit.
3. Use only 2-3 different sized boxes so you can easily stack them and save space. Here are extra tips for how to pack a box. Need packing supplies for moving and storage? Both of our locations sell these.
4. Launder all clothing to be stored and use wardrobe boxes for ultimate protection.
5. Store your mattress vertically and wrap in old linen or blankets prior to storing. These are breathable & less likely to create condensation & mold.
6. Always store your couch on its legs. It wasn't designed to stand upright and bear its full weight on just an armrest and 2 legs.
7. Prevent nasty odours and mold in your mini fridge by cleaning and drying before storing, and once in storage, leave the door ajar. Depending on where you were living, you may have larger appliances. Here are more tips for appliance storage.
8. Save space & protect your desk, kitchen table and other furniture by disassembling it & taping the hardware or legs to its underside for safe keeping
9. Wrap breakable items in sheets, towels and dishcloths, instead of newspaper (which smears ink which can damage your stuff).
10. Prior to unplugging and packing up your TV, stereo, laptop and other electronics, make a diagram & label cords.
11. If you plan to store pictures and books in self-storage, check out this great blog post on how to store your pictures and books to keep them from warping, fading and other forms of damage.
12. Play sports? Depending on your sport of choice, a garbage can could be a great storage container inside your unit for hockey sticks, baseball bats, lacrosse sticks and more. Here are some great tips for storing sports equipment in a self-storage unit.
13. Use a good quality lock to make sure your personal belongings are secure and safe. Here’s what you need to know about selecting a lock for your self-storage unit. Both of our self storage locations have locks for sale.
14. Need a moving truck to help you move your belongings into self-storage? Here are helpful tips for renting a moving truck.

Whether you’re a student looking for more space during the school year or a parent looking to take back their home, we can give you more space!

Not sure what size self-storage unit you need? No problem!  Give us a call, text or email and we can help you figure that out.  You can also check out the sizing and pricing options available at our Milton self-storage facility and our Woodstock self-storage facility. There’s a real handy size comparison chart to help you figure out what size storage unit will work best for your needs.

And, to all students, we wish you good luck on your exams & assignments, and safe travels home to be with your families this Christmas.

Your friend in self-storage,

Storage Solutions