There’s something about helping your child move out of their university dorm that hits differently. As a mom, it’s emotional. As a professional organizer? It’s also an opportunity.
Recently, I helped my daughter move out of her university residence, and while we were both focused on getting her packed up, I realized just how much this process is like any other organizing project—it’s all about intentionality, planning, and letting go (emotionally and physically!).
Here’s how we tackled it—and what I learned along the way:
1. Start early and start small
We didn’t wait until move-out day to get organized. A few weeks before, we started sorting things out during our video calls—what she’d actually used, what she hadn’t touched, and what needed to come home. Tackling it early gave us breathing room and cut down on stress. It also helped me to plan out what I needed to prepare to bring home, and make sure I had the right sized bins or boxes to make move out easier.
2. Decide what comes home (and what doesn’t)
One of the best decisions we made was renting a small storage locker near her campus. Lugging everything home (only to haul it back again in the fall) just didn’t make sense. Instead, we split her stuff into three categories:
- Store near campus – school supplies, kitchen items, small furniture, small refrigerator, cleaning supplies, mirror, coffee maker etc.
- Bring home – sentimental or seasonal items
- Let go – anything she didn’t use or outgrew
That third pile made me proud—she’s learning the art of letting go without guilt, just like I teach my clients.
3. Pack with purpose
We skipped the “stuff it all in a bag” approach and went with:
- Clear storage bins with lids (easy to stack in the short-term storage locker)
- Vacuum storage bags for linens and winter gear
- Labelled tote bags for fragile items
Each item had a place, which made packing faster and will make move-in and unpacking next semester a breeze.
4. Donate what you don’t need
Today’s students are pretty eco-conscious, but move-out season can still generate a lot of waste. It’s a great opportunity to reinforce that gently used items don’t need to end up in the landfill.
Encourage your student to check if their school has donation programs or local partnerships for things like dorm-sized fridges, mattress toppers, storage bins, mirrors, or unopened non-perishable food. Some schools even offer programs where students can donate or sell items to incoming first-years in the fall.
Before heading home, we dropped off a bag of extra clothes and dorm décor at a local donation bin—it felt good to leave things behind in a thoughtful, intentional way.
