Figuring out exactly how much storage you will need as a uni student can be difficult. Students all have differing tastes, hobbies, lifestyles, and accommodation situations, so the amount they decide to bring with them to university can vary greatly.

Just how much you bring to uni with you that needs to be stored will depend on factors such as:

• Whether you are living in accommodation on campus or in a student flat rented from a landlord on the private market
• If you are in non-catered or catered accommodation (in which case you may have no kitchen)
• How many flatmates you are living with
• Whether the place you are moving into is furnished or not
• What course you do (for instance, medical students training to be doctors may need to bring extra equipment which can take up more space) 
• Whether you play regular sports and store your sports equipment at home

As specialists in all things self storage related, in this blog, we at Now Storage address the matter of how much storage a uni student needs.  

Items students should bring with them to university 

Moving to uni and living somewhere totally different is a big life step and an adventure. There are certain essential items that most students must bring along with them to uni, and this will have a direct impact on how much storage you need.

Study-related supplies and equipment

Inevitably, you will need to bring books, extensive stationery supplies, folders, and so on. However, due to the reliance on digital devices for carrying out academic research these days, your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone are also essential items that will need storing somewhere. 

Bathroom

You may not have lived independently or without your family before, but maintaining excellent bathroom hygiene habits in your living quarters at uni is important. Poor hygiene at student accommodation sometimes leads to unfortunate students catching things like Sepsis, and you don’t want this to be you. 

It is advisable to bring your own flannels, bath towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving supplies, antiperspirant products, shampoo, hair conditioner, combs and brushes, and so on. Sharing these items with your flatmates in a tight living space will increase your chances of catching nasty bugs! You may also want to get a toiletry bag to help store all these items in an organised way. 

Bedroom 

Most landlords and student accommodations will simply supply you with a bed and mattress, so you shouldn’t expect bedding to be included. Therefore, when it comes to packing your things for the bedroom, bed sheets, a mattress protector, pillows, duvets and duvet cases should be the first on your list. 

Do you want to study in your bedroom? You, therefore, should double-check whether your bedroom comes furnished with a study desk, if it doesn’t and there’s space for one, you could go out and buy one yourself! 

It may sound silly, but your student bedroom may not have its own bin. Remember to check. If the bedroom doesn’t come with a bin, bring your own small-sized one with you.

Your bedroom needs to be given a bit of your personal touch so you truly feel at home there. So, try and decorate the room with fairy lights, posters, photographs of cherished moments in your life, wall art and so on. Just remember to use blue tac to hang things on the wall, bashing pins into the wall could cause damage and make visible marks that will annoy your landlord which is something you’ll want to avoid.  

Kitchen

Your landlord or student accommodation may be generous enough to leave out plates, a toaster, and a few glasses for new tenants, but they probably won’t provide you with a vast array of kitchenware. 

So, it could be a wise idea to bring cutlery, kitchen knives, plates, bowls, saucepans, frying pans, chopping boards, tea towels, and Tupperware with you. That way, you’ll hopefully find yourself with all the right tools to help you become a dab hand in the kitchen, and not just rely on pot noodles! 

If you are provided with a dishwasher or washing machine in your kitchen or elsewhere, you may need to go out and purchase appropriate cleaning products (like washing up tablets, pods, and liquid solutions) before you arrive. In the long term, you will have to buy these items regularly. Alternatively, if you live on campus it may be the case that there’s a communal laundry place for you to take advantage of.  

Clothes pegs, hangers, and airers

In order to avoid a floordrobe taking place in your bedroom or in the landing, kitchen, or anywhere in the house for that matter, get yourself some clothes pegs and hangers to hang up your clothes nicely, and an airer to dry your laundry!

You can dry laundry in your bedroom, but remember to open the windows, since failing to do so can cause dampness and mould to take hold!

Laundry baskets

Investing in a sturdy laundry basket is another savvy way to help you avoid the dreaded floordrobe clutter scenario! There are plenty of amazing laundry baskets with different designs and made of different interesting sustainable materials, such as rattan, seagrass, and canvas. Why not try and be sustainable with the laundry baskets you take to uni? 

Student storage solutions

You now know more about what you need to bring to uni, but how will you store it all? Of course, how much storage you need will depend on how many belongings you choose to bring along with you to uni. 

It may sound tricky if you’re a fashion lover with tons of clothes to store, but it is a good idea to be as minimalist as possible and not to overpack and bring too many possessions with you to uni. After all, you’d be gutted if your fave clothes got damaged in any way. In general, only take belongings with you that you know you will need.

Here, Now Storage looks into feasible storage solutions that will help ensure you have all the storage you need at uni.

Freestanding storage units (on wheels!) 

Is there free space in your bedroom or in communal areas that you could use as storage? We’ve got a wheelie good idea, why not get a wardrobe or bookshelves unit on wheels? That way, they are portable storage solutions that you can reuse in the future. However, just remember to check this will be all hunky dory with your landlord or student accommodation provider!

Suit bags

Maybe you have a piece of clothing, such as a sharp suit or evening dress, that you want to protect and keep in great condition? If so, use suit bags to store these items of clothing at uni.

Vacuum-sealed bags 

Maybe you will be studying somewhere could and want to bring quite a few cost jumpers and winter coats and jackets with you to uni. Want to pack as many items of clothing as possible into your wardrobe? In that case, try using vacuum-sealed bags to store your clothes. 

Large plastic containers

These can be great for under-the-bed storage, and ideal for storing clothes, books, folders, and such. What’s more, plastic containers are easy to clean at the end of the year. You can get handy plastic storage containers that come with wheels and will slot nicely under your bed!

Folders

You need somewhere to store all those papers and notes when studying heavy topics at uni. A good old ring binder folder will do the job. Just remember to label them properly and line them neatly in your bedroom. You’d hate anything to happen to your precious study notes, so keep them off the floor!

Stationery and filing trays

A storage solution for your stationary and paper at uni is to get yourself an organised stationery or filing tray, and then use a labelling system so you know what is where. 

If you are on an art design course for example, you may need an array of paint brushes, paints, stencils, and special drawing apparatus, and stationery and filing trays will help keep them organised and safely stored away.

Under bed storage 

If you hit the jackpot, you may land a flat or student accommodation with a bed that comes with lovely under-the-bed drawers you can use as storage. Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with using the under-the-bed space as storage. Just make sure you can access everything when you need it.

Use multifunctional furniture 

Got limited space in your student bedroom? Multifunctional furniture and doubling things up can be a great space-saving storage solution. For example, also using your study desk as your bedside table will mean you don’t have a separate desk and bedside table both taking up lots of space in your bedroom. 

Use all the space available to you

Maximising storage space for students is all about making the most of every nook and cranny. Use all the possible storage space available to you. Do you have a high ceiling in your bedroom? Make the most of vertical storage by installing a peg board on the wall and placing as many items on there as you can. 

Hire a self storage unit

How much storage does a uni student need is like asking how long is a piece of string. You could have limited bedroom space and simply too many possessions of yours that require adequate storage. A sensible solution to your student storage headaches is to hire a self storage unit. 

We have ensured our rates at Now Storage are affordable and tailored for student self storage needs. Get a quote on our website so you can find out just how reasonably priced it is to rent one of our self storage units. 

At Now Storage, we provide safe and secure storage units (indoor and container storage) for customers’ personal and business storage needs at 15 locations across England and Wales. Check out your nearest local self storage site here. 

Worried about our storage units not being large enough to store all your uni belongings? Fear not, we have storage unit space big enough for homes with 5+ bedrooms, and we deal with student self storage customers day in, and day out. 

We are a family-run storage business and we pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service. When renting a storage unit with us, you will have access to it seven days a week. 

Interested in hiring a self storage unit to help resolve your student storage dilemmas? Get in touch with us today by calling us on 0800 0787 110 or dropping us a message.