When your children leave for college, you feel a variety of emotions: pride, sadness, and at least a touch of separation anxiety. But college isn’t just an opportunity for kids, it’s an opportunity for their parents as well. Whether you’re eldest is cross-country for their higher education or your youngest just moved into the dorms at KSU, make the most of their empty room by weeding through the years of built-up junk in the closet.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
If you’re dealing with an empty nest after the start of the college school year, the best way to deal is to start sorting. Studies have shown that cleaning out your kids old stuff can be therapeutic. It also frees storage space from junk your child might not even know he had. Don’t close the door on your post-college clean out. Attack the organization now so you can welcome your kid home to a clean room this fall break.
Strategy is Everything
If you dive straight into your kids’ messy closets, you’ll probably get overwhelmed fast. Grab a friend or younger child who can be objective about the sentimental items in your child’s closet. Sort piles into keepsakes, trash, donate, and unknown. If your child has unused items in good condition, ask them about if you can give them away. Move any baby blankets or childhood photos to the attic, but be careful about tossing unfamiliar mementos. They may mean more to your child than you realize.
Plan for the Future
As your child prepares for their future, you should prepare for yours. Chances are your teen will move back home during the summer, so painting the walls and replacing old furniture may be premature. Organize their stuff in a way that makes sense for future clean outs. You never know if their bedroom will wind up a guest room or an updated space for your child to job hunt when he graduates.
Getting rid of outgrown clothes, boxes of old school supplies, and other knick knacks from your college kids’ room? Call Mr Junk for fast, efficient Kennesaw junk removal.
