During your packing and shipping meltdown, you’ll be tossing and swerving in bed because of haunting questions like, “How am I going to pack and ship my entire room to school?” or the classic, “What is a SmoothMove Kraft Moving Box?” I don’t want that to be you. I want to bring you peaceful nights of rest. I want your biggest packing question to be, “Do I really need six pairs of jeans?” Calm your packing fears with these top-secret packing tools.
1. Checklists
Making checklists is the easiest way to reign in your Dug-sized attention span. Boston College junior Sadie Valentine said, “Checklists absolutely. A must. 10 out of 10 would recommend. I’m the forgetful type who won’t remember toothpaste if it’s not written down.” Plus, it’ll get you on the packing grind before your mom starts nagging you. A 74-item checklist is too hard to ignore.
2. Labels
Packing is not the time for a college student’s edition of 52 pick up. If you’re throwing in toiletries with your favorite pair of shoes, you’re an animal. “I kept losing track of what I had put into which box… Let’s just say I got labels about half way through the packing process,” said Boston College junior Amy Stevens. Without labels, there is zero chance you’ll unearth your underwear by the first night you arrive at school.
3. Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Packaging Tape
Instead of trusting your boxes of video games in the mailman’s hands, trust them in the snug fit of this heavy-duty tape. Boston College junior Luke Ramos wants to marry it. “I used to use the old brown packing tape, and while it was easier to rip with your hands, that was it’s problem. It ripped too easily in packing. This tape is a lot sturdier and a better sealant for the boxes, which sometimes get wet during shipping or sitting outside,” said Ramos. Your box deserves a raincoat.
4. Staples Bankers Box
If some lunatic parent took away their credit card and said you could only buy two things on this list, you’d immediately go for the boxes and tape, right? Well, forget the tape. With the Bankers Box® SmoothMove Kraft Moving Box, the lid locks into place, like a secret spy safe or a safe haven for the foam mattress pad you illegally snuck into your dorm. No double or triple reinforcing this bad boy.
5. Baby Bear Boxes
You may be tempted to apply the mantra “go big or go home” to your box buying, but fight that masculine urge. American University junior Hannah Lambalot said, “Don’t get too big of a box! It’s often too heavy to move or SUPER expensive to ship. Plus, medium or small boxes are easier to pack.” Imagine playing Tetris on a football-sized field versus a one-by-one square. Don’t be a hero.
Related Read: 21 Organizational Tips All College Students Need to Know
6. Staples Deluxe Packing Shipping Box
Imagine a world in which box flaps don’t attack the unsuspecting thighs of college students everywhere. These deluxe boxes have special tabs to keep these dangerous weapons locked down so they don’t keep any babies in the corner. Feel free to let your limbs flap as wildly as possible while packing. No cardboard cuts will scar you anymore.
7. Wardrobe Box with Bar
So you, of course, decide that all eight of your little black dresses are necessities because two words: Wine Wednesdays. Because you refuse to make room or time for ironing, you can’t just toss these LBD gems into any box. “Some clothes wrinkle really easily so the wardrobe boxes were great, I could hang my clothes without worrying about it,” said Stevens. Sounds genius to me.
8. Mailing Tubes
Give your wall art and posters some love by making sure they travel in first class mailing tubes. “I have my sweet Teen Wolf poster and God forbid that get bent,” said Valentine. Once they’re safely tucked in, you can act like Wreck-it Ralph.
9. Bubble Wrap
You’ll need this magical plastic-based product for two things. One, for anything you wouldn’t put in the hands of a 4-year-old. Think desk lamp, frames and your alarm clock. Sure you could scrounge up towels and sheets for the job but Lambalot believes bubble wrap is the one true champ. “Plus, I like to organize all my towels and sheets in vacuum bags to keep the air out of them and keep them fresh,” she said. And bubble wrap is great to stomp the bejesus out of during much-needed unpacking stress breaks.
10. Shrink wrap
The second most entertaining wrap of them all. Shrink wrap sweet treasures like the white board, on which your friend drew a smiling burrito that looks weirdly so much like you. You should also shrink wrap the cork board to which you tacked about 80 post-it notes of the weirdest things your friends said. Some good memz must live on– in full, shrink wrapped glory.
11. Shipping Tags
Make sure you give your boxes a destination. “The number one thing is know the address you’re shipping to. It sounds dumb, but I know people (me) who didn’t know the address at school for the longest time,” Valentine said. This location pin should be as pretty as the stuff inside; go fluorescent or go home.
Did I mention that select Staples stores even have UPS and USPS right in stores for convenient seven day package drop off? God bless.
