You thought finding an apartment for rent in Athens Ohio was tough. Now you’ve got to move in, and so does the entire campus. On. The. Same. Day. It’s like the movie 300, only bloodier and more U-Hauls. Be brave. Get smart. Absolutely rock moving into your Ohio University student rental with these 5 clever hacks.
Bring an Arsenal of Cleaning Products
Face the fact that the house you rented in Athens Ohio is going to be a dive. Chances are the former tenants left it in tatters. I once found a “Booger Wall of Fame” in the bathroom of a student rental, and it wasn’t pretty. Pack rubber gloves, Comet, garbage bags, and maybe a bottle of bleach. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Keep Your Parents Busy
Mom and Dad just want to help. Sending their little darling off to college is a bit of a tear jerker for them. After all, it’s not every day their precious darling moves away, settling into an Ohio University student rental where they can’t keep an eye on you. Give them something useful to do even if it just gets them out of your hair. Let Mom clean out the fridge. Flip a fuse in the fuse box and see if Dad can figure it out. Malia Obama let her dad put together her desk lamp, trickier than an economic recovery. Parents deserve to feel needed.
Label Everything
Label every box, bin, and bag like cleaning a crime scene. It cuts down on the chaos. You’ll know where to find the essentials when you’re stacked wall to wall in boxes.
Wrap Everything Fragile in Clothes or Blankets
Move-ins can be brutal to every breakable thing you own. Wrap anything fragile in blankets, clothes, even old newspaper if you have to. Avoid tragedy. There’s nothing worse than unpacking after a move to find your most precious stuff in broken little pieces.
One Box at a Time
Don’t expect everything to be moved in and unpacked in one day. Land first. Unpack essentials. Then go grab some lunch or a beer. You’ve got friends you haven’t seen since last semester. Catch up. Have some fun. Those boxes will be waiting for you in your Athens Ohio apartment when you’re ready to get to work again.
Practice teamwork with your roommates
If you’re living with roommates, be it a two, three or four bedroom apartment, have them help you – and help them, too.
The more hands there are unpacking, cleaning and hanging, the quicker things will get done for everyone. That means more time spent enjoying your off campus apartment instead of feeling like living in it is a chore.
Get there early and park close
Athens parking can be a nightmare – especially if your apartment is close to campus.
That means getting to your place on move-in day as early as possible. The early bird gets the worm, and in this case, the parking spot. No one wants to lug their stuff up and down hills or streets.
However, if your rental has parking, even if you don’t have a car, talk to your landlord about allowing your parents, friends or whoever is helping you move park their vehicle in the rental lot. It can be a huge time – and back pain – saver.