Storage Ideas When College Students Come Home

You got them through another year. No more late night stress calls about finals. No more worrying that they aren’t eating healthy enough between classes. Or whether they’re partying too much instead of studying.

Now, they’re heading home. You’re excited…and a little apprehensive. That’s ok! This will be a transition for both of you, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful one.

They’ll have a lot of stories to tell and stuff to bring home with them. So, get your game plan ready now.

Here are some storage ideas when your college student comes home.

Banish Them to the Shed

(We mean the guest house!)

Cook Portable Warehouses make excellent guest houses. The kids have been on their own at college and you may have already turned their room into a gym or craft room. So, give them their own space near the house.

You’ll both enjoy the privacy, and hopefully they’ll be able to use or store their college dorm supplies in the portable building.

Learn more about using portable buildings as a guest house.

Clean, declutter and organize before storing

This part they will not want to do. They’re tired from finals, moving and driving home. But, they’ll be glad they did once the new semester arrives.

Help them decide what they will really need the next semester. Was there anything they never used the previous year? Is there something about to break or outdated they could get rid of?

Paring down what needs to be stored will help you save space and muscles when they move back into their 10th floor room again the next semester.

Have them put everything away in the container they want to take back with them. If everything is already packed, then it will leave less for you to do in a few months. Make sure none of the boxes or plastic bins are too heavy, so no one is straining come move-in day.

Maximize your storage space

For bedding or clothes they don’t need, use vacuum bags to save space. Use easily stackable boxes or bins with lids to keep insects from getting into your storage containers.

Shoe organizers and wooden crates also make great solutions for storage items they may still want to use this summer, but don’t have room for in the house.

Label everything!

Don’t let your student accidentally arrive with grandmother’s china, while their lamps and printer remain in the back of the shed miles from college.

Labels will help you sort what needs to be easily accessible throughout the summer and what can be pushed to the back until the new semester begins. It will also help you remember which items are fragile and don’t need to be in the hands of a clumsy roommate or sibling on move-in day.

When your college student returns home, it’s another transition for both of you. But, you can make it smoother by having a plan for their belongings.

Not sure which Cook shed will be right for your backyard? Download our buying guide below!