When your child goes off to college, you may decide that you want to transform his or her room. You may also find that your child needs some additional storage space for personal items that don't fit in the dorm room. Here are some ways you can use a mini storage facility as you begin the transition from full house to empty nest.

Choose A Storage Location

Depending on what you store in the unit, you may want to choose a location that's closer to your child's college instead of closer to your home. If you will be using mini storage to hold books, clothing, and other essentials your child might need to access during the school year, select a storage facility he or she can drive to easily. However, if you'll simply be storing the bedroom furniture and other less frequently used items, choosing a facility close to you can make it easier to transport everything when you are ready to clear out the bedroom.

Organize Items In The Bedroom

Whether you want to use your child's old bedroom as a personal office or as a crafting room, you'll need to empty it out first. Organize items based on how often your child might need them and box them up accordingly. For example, you may want to keep boxes of old notebooks and textbooks in a closet in your home in case your college student needs them for studying. Old board games and toys, on the other hand, can be boxed up and taken to the mini storage facility. Think about whether you want to repurpose the furniture in the room or pack it away. Your child's old bed can still be used as a guest bed, and an old dresser can be used as clothing storage in a walk-in closet. Once you know what will be moved to the storage unit, you can better determine how big of a mini storage space you need.

Fill The Mini Storage UNit

You may want to rent a truck on the day you move everything to the self-storage unit. Consider moving into the unit the same weekend you move your child into his or her dorm room, as you can get all of your moving done in just a couple of days. Your mini storage facility may have trucks for rent, so be sure to ask when you sign your lease. As you fill the storage unit, place less frequently needed items in the back, reserving the front section for items you or your child may need to retrieve. Stack boxes according to weight, and consider adding a freestanding shelving system to the unit to keep everything organized.

Making the transition to an empty nest isn't always easy, but with a mini storage unit, you can free up space in your home that can be used for new hobbies or making extra space for guests.