Graduation in San Diego: A University Move Out Means Furniture Removal

updated 8/15/22

There are probably two favorite times of the year for college and university students. 

Sure, winter holiday and Spring Break are up there, but not quite at the top of the list. No, for most students, the top two most anticipated times of the school year are summer vacation and, for some, graduation.

And for those who are going home for the summer or leaving school for the last time, it can also mean a bit of old furniture disposal and hauling out all their unwanted junk from school.

Managing a Furniture Move Out Without a Truck

Yeah. Good luck with that.

Sure, some students got by with a few pieces of DIY furniture made with plastic veneer and hollow-core panels from a European-style furniture store. And some of those pieces are now probably destined for the dumpster. 

But many others have some old, but sturdy pieces that they have no real intention of keeping and really can’t leave behind. That could be anything from beds and dressers to desks, chairs, and bookcases. And these can often be solid, but heavy, furniture pieces that no one really wants to haul downstairs or out to the curb themselves. 

The question then, who is going to do all the moving, loading, and hauling of the old furniture and boxes of things like unwanted clothes, books, shoes, and other junk items?

Because, like we know at Junk King San Diego, without a truck this can be a problem.

So, what’s a graduate to do?

Moving Out is Exciting, but It Doesn’t Have to be Stressful!

After years of university life, you’ve probably had enough stress to last you for the next 10 years. Your university move out shouldn’t have to be stressful, too.

While it may seem simple and, to some, even obvious, one of the best moving out tips is to create for yourself a “school move out day checklist.” Checklists are not only great organizing tools, but they can also be a lifesaver when time is suddenly short and the “things to do” are long!

• Wake up early.

No matter what time your move is, you really need to wake up early on moving day.

• Pack any last-minute items.

What you do not want to do is toss loose items into bags or the back of a car.

• Do a final sweep of your room.

Make sure that you check the cabinets, closets, and storage spaces.

• Greet your helpers.

If you hired movers, you’re likely a rare graduate. But friends and family who come to help need to be acknowledged and appreciated.

• Moderate the move.

Either you or someone you trust who is a good manager should coordinate the moving activity.

• Final sweep.

Yes, you did this once already, but you might have to remove some trash or even clean your place before you leave.

Of course, there may be a bit more required depending on whether you are leaving a dorm room, a bedroom in a house, or even an apartment. So, your checklist may contain a few more items. But be sure to keep your checklist at hand during your move out day and double-check each item as you go along.

Other great university moving out tips include:

• Separate your essentials you need to have out during and after moving
• Start packing before your finals so you can simply relax when those are done
• Clean out any refrigerators, pantries, or cupboards
• Get rid of homework assignments you won’t need and drop off textbooks off
• Know your move out procedure for a dorm and check in with your RA beforehand

The main keys to low-stress tasks like packing and moving out are Planning and Preparation. Both require some time, forethought, and focused effort. This can, of course, be challenging when your time at school is coming to an end and there is so many other things going on in your life. But your move out can and should be as stress-free and easy as possible.

Leaving the San Diego University Scene

The San Diego area is home to several universities and many colleges, both public and private. In fact, there are well over two dozen of these institutions in and around San Diego.

These include San Diego State University, University of California San Diego, California State University San Marcos, Point Loma Nazarene University, and John Paul the Great Catholic University.

And that’s just the Universities!

The colleges found in the San Diego area are quite numerous as well, with schools such as:

• Platt College San Diego
• San Diego Christian College
• MiraCosta College
• Cuyamaca College
• San Diego Miramar College
• Grossmont College
• San Diego Mesa College
• California College San Diego

In fact, according to the website CollegeSimply.com,

“There are 12 four year colleges within the San Diego city limits and 17 four year colleges within a 50 mile radius”

And the combined enrollment of the top five universities and colleges by numbers of students attending was more than 92,370 during the last academic year. This means that there are tens of thousands of students going home each summer, and thousands of others graduating and leaving campus for the last time.

This also means that there are thousands of university move outs and cleanouts that will take place – many without the proper vehicles and means of doing them easily.

How to Keep Track of Everything You Own in One Place

When it comes to moving out, organization is your friend. And being organized can include having systems for tracking your “moving inventory” and making moving lists.

We provided a brief sample list above, but if you look closely at the steps in the checklist you can easily see that each one can lend itself to additional lists that can be created to make even the individual steps of the moving out process go smoother, easier, and quicker.

While we’re not suggesting that you spend an inordinate amount of time and effort creating endless lists for this project. No, because you’ve got to have to time to actually do the work! 

But this can be a great time to bring out your inner OCD self to oversee the move out process.

For organizing and tracking your belongings and everything that you’re going to pack and take with you, staging and labeling are great tactics to employ. If possible, staging all your things in one corner or side of a room can allow you to visualize what needs to go where and when. And labeling bags, boxes, crates, and other storage or packing containers can be a lifesaver during and after your move.

While you may have lived a monk’s existence during your time at school, it is still quite likely that you also accumulated quite a few things while you were there. In addition, it is also quite likely that even some of the things you brought with you when you first arrived are still around.

And you may not really need or want everything that you now have. 

So, after collecting, sorting, and staging everything possible in one place, your very next step should be one of purging. Gift things you no longer want or need, sell them if they have value and you want to take the time for that, or toss them out.

Once you’ve reduced your “stash” of everything you own you can proceed with the rest of your moving out steps and tasks. 

6 Pre-Move Activities Every Student Should Do for a Smooth Move-Out Day

Life at a university – especially in those days before and during finals – is hectic and stressful already. Moving out shouldn’t have to be. 

And one of the keys to making for a smooth move out day involves some important pre-move activities for students.

To help with that we’ve gathered up six “Pre-Move Activities” that you should be doing about one month to two weeks before your actual moving out day. Here is a brief overview of these pre-move activities that every student should do for a smooth “Move-Out” day:

One Month Before Moving Day

• Take inventory of what you will need to put in storage and what you will take home. This will help you decide what size storage unit you will need.
• Consult your residence hall advisor. Get your move out checklist and plan early. You won’t want to run into any surprises the day of move out.

Two Weeks Before Moving Day

• Take down and pack wall decorations. Roll up your posters and fold tapestries for best preservation in storage.
• Wash your laundry (towels and sheets too!). You don’t want to be doing this during finals week, and you don’t want to pack dirty clothes or bed sheets.
• Sort and group clothing. Start separating and folding your winter clothes and heavy jackets. If you aren’t wearing them now, you certainly won’t need them during the summer.
• Return borrowed or rented items and pick up items have left somewhere on campus. The former could be books, uniforms, or equipment. The latter might be items stored in a locker room or another dorm room.

Another key student moves checklist for pre-packing is for sorting your possessions. 

The folks at Neighbor.com offer this concise but helpful checklist sorting out the things you own a few weeks prior to your big move.

Start by separating out anything that belongs to any roommates you may have shared space with. Next, decide what you’ll do with communal possessions. Then, divide your possessions into these piles:

• Things to keep but not use immediately. There are many possessions in your apartment that you will want or need to keep for later: your bedding, towels, clothing, and kitchen items, for example. Pack the items you won’t need until your move ahead of time. Then pack items that you regularly use as you get closer to the big day.

• Things you will need immediately or over the summer. You may want to keep some items handy through the summer months or while you’re in that interim location before you move to your next permanent home. Those items need to be packed in an easily identifiable, clearly accessible location. Then you’ll remember that they need to go with you after you move out.

• Things you no longer want or cannot take with you. If you’re moving out of your college apartment for the last time and planning to settle across the country, you might not want to take your furniture with you. Make arrangements to sell or donate it. Throw away items you no longer want.

Life at a university can be rough at times, but your move out doesn’t have to be.

5 Tips for the Best Possible University Move Out Day

For many students, the best university move out day is their last one! 

Graduation, moving on to a new life adventure, saying goodbye to exams, homework, and endless reading and notes – moving out can mean much, much more than simply re-locating again. After all those months and years, finally moving out for the last time can be emotionally and mentally draining.

But there are a few hacks that can make any university move out day the best possible. And here are five of them:

• Decide if you are going to do the packing and moving of your personal items yourself or, if possible, hire a moving firm to do it for you. This decision will guide much of what you need to do next.

• Start preparing early. Don’t wait until the week before you have to leave to start the process. Last minute planning and packing is a sure recipe for a “worst possible” move out day!

• Enlist whatever help you’ll need for your move. That may be just one friend or family member, or the assist of a small crew. And get their commitment early – not the day of.

• Make sure you’re well-rested and well-fed on your move out day. Getting and keeping a positive and calm vibe during a move out is much easier when you’re not hungry or tired.

• Get rid of your junk early on. There are likely to be stacks of clothes and other items that you no longer want or need. If you can’t sell them or donate them, consider calling a local junk hauling firm.

As we’ve noted here before, preparation and planning will go a long way towards making your university move out a smooth and stress-less event. At least, as much as a big day like that can be! 

Junk King is Top of Their Class for University Move-Outs and Furniture Removal

Convenience is a great thing.

And having a reliable and professional junk hauling firm like Junk King San Diego means having exactly that: the convenience of letting us do all the heavy lifting! And, while that is a good reason to hire us for your furniture removal needs or getting your junk from school, there’s a couple of other great reasons for calling Junk King, as well.

Everyone claims to have the best prices. But the world of junk removal services is full of firms that charge their customers by how heavy their junk loads are or with a flat fee that doesn’t take into account how much junk is actually being removed.

And then there are the “hidden” fees – additional charges that are never clearly disclosed up front.

Junk King San Diego doesn’t operate that way. When it comes to junk removal fees we believe in and practice fair and transparent pricing. In fact, we encourage our customers to obtain a free estimate from us before they ever “pull the trigger” on hiring us for their junk removal job.

And we guarantee to beat any other written estimate, which means you can trust that we’ll do what we say we’ll do when it comes to pricing. 

When it comes to getting a free estimate, we work hard to make it as convenient for you as possible. In fact, we provide four different ways to get an estimate from us:

ON-SITE PRICING is the best and most accurate way for us to assess the job and offer you the lowest price is free, no-obligation on-site estimate.

AN ONLINE PRICING ESTIMATE is easy to do. Simply click “Pricing” in the navigation above, scroll to the green “Launch Pricing Estimator” button, then enter your zip code.

TEXT US A PHOTO of your items at 737-888-5865 and we will text you back an estimate. If your items are in different locations,you can send us multiple photos.

OR YOU CAN CALL and speak with our friendly and professional customer service staff. We are open from 3:30 am to 7:00 pm PST, Monday through Saturday, and for 8 hours on Sunday.

Convenient, Affordable, and Green University Move Outs

Being green is not a new thing for Junk King.

In fact, we literally pioneered the concept of green junk removal and disposal and were the first truly green and eco-friendly junk removal service in the industry. It has always been Junk King’s mission to recycle as much of your waste and junk items as possible since the company was founded in 2005.

We have always worked this way and we continue to do what we can to protect the planet and provide a sustainable alternative to using landfills. This means that, when you call Junk King for your junk removal, you’re contributing to a greener alternative, as well.

It also means, when it comes to furniture removal and disposal, we recycle as much of everything as possible.

At Junk King San Diego, being green is more than a corporate slogan – it’s what we do. At the heart of our company mission is the goal of recycling at least 60 percent of everything we pick up. Regardless of whether that’s old furniture from a university dorm room or frat house, or anything else we pick up, the overriding goal is recycling.

The Junk King disposal process involves taking the junk and unwanted furniture that we pick up during the day and hauling it to our local Junk King San Diego warehouse. And it is there that we sort through everything to determine which items can either be reused, repurposed, or at least recycled.

Most furniture, especially older pieces, is made with large quantities of wood, which can be recycled. In addition, there are often metal, glass, plastics, and other materials that can be reused. And if any of your old furniture items are in good condition and are still usable, Junk King San Diego will get them to a local donation center.

The good news is that, when it comes to used furniture, much of the material used to build them is easily recycled, plastics and most wood, for example.

Junk King San Diego Makes University Move Outs Easy

At Junk King San Diego, we serve the entire San Diego area including all the Universities and colleges in and around the city. 

For personal junk removal and other junk disposal services that are easy, green, and affordable you can rely on Junk King San Diego to make them a certainty.

Give us a call today and tell us about the junk items you need removed from your space.

You can get a free estimate from us online, by text, or by calling us. Better yet, once we arrive on site, we’ll give you a firm quote in writing guaranteed to beat any other written estimate. And once you agree to our quote, we can often provide same-day junk removal or schedule a time that works with your busy schedule.

You can be confident that our same-day personal and residential junk removal can be both eco-friendly and affordable when you call Junk King San Diego. Contact us today and tell us about the junk items you need cleared out of your university dorm room, apartment, or room at a house. 

Ready to get rid of your junk? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

Just make an appointment by booking online or by calling us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).

You simply point and we’ll haul your junk items into our large, clean truck for one simple price and no hidden fees.