Posted 3 hours ago
Wed 20 May, 2026 09:05 AM
The end of the year is coming, and your room somehow contains more stuff than it did when you arrived. Here’s a straightforward way to sort through it and make sure as little as possible ends up in a bin bag.
Moving out of halls is one of those things that feels fine until the day before checkout, at which point it becomes extremely not fine. The trick is to start earlier than you think you need to, and to give yourself a framework before you start throwing things into suitcases at random.
I would recommend sorting everything into three piles first. Don’t pack anything until you’ve done this; it sounds slow, but it actually speeds everything up.
The three piles would be "Going home," "Back next year," or "Donate or discard." Here are some examples of what would fit into each section.
| Going Home | Back Next Year | Donate or Discard |
| Clothes you actually wear | Course materials | Clothes you haven't worn |
| Sentimental items | Bedding & towels | Duplicate items |
| Electronics and chargers | Kitchen basics | Books you won't reread |
| Documents & IDs | Stationary & desk supplies | Leftover non-perishable food |
| Anything you'd be sad to lose | Things too bulky to take home | Anything past its prime that won't be used again |
Once you have sorted into those three piles, the donate/discard is the one that needs the most thought, because a lot of it doesn’t have to be thrown away. Here’s what to do with each category.
The "Donate or Discard" Pile
Don’t bin it, your halls will have a food donation point. These collections go to local food banks, so anything unopened and in date is genuinely useful. Think tins, pasta, rice, cereals, condiments, sauces, snacks, and anything shelf-stable.
What counts: unopened, in date, non-perishable.
What doesn't count: open packets, anything that needs refrigerating, or things past their best-before date.
Check with your hall’s ResLife team or reception where the collection point is, it is usually somewhere near the entrance or common room
You can donate to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) by dropping items off at your local shop or by posting the items for free. They accept clothes, shoes, accessories, books, small electronics, and even furniture. This is the easier option if you want stuff gone quickly. Bag it up, drop it in.
Note: condition matters. The BHF can’t sell everything that gets donated, and anything too worn or damaged is likely to end up in the landfill anyway. Be honest with yourself: if you wouldn’t consider buying it secondhand, it probably isn’t worth donating.
If you’ve got nicer things, anything brand-name, vintage, or in great condition, it’s worth listing them before you donate.
Vinted is the go-to for most people: no seller fees, easy to list, and buyers pay postage.
Depop is better for more curated or vintage pieces but takes a 10% cut. Both are worth a look, but if you’re short on time, donate instead.
Alternatively, drop your clothes donations at the LSESU Charity Shop on campus, which is student-run by RAG and the Sustainable Futures Society and accepts donations directly.
Course books are expensive and the next cohort will need them. Before donating or binning consider:
Selling them: Post in your course of halls WhatsApp group, someone a year below will almost always want them at a fair price. You can also list on Vinted or Facebook Marketplace for a wider audience.
Donating them: The BHF accept books. If your books are very course-specific, check whether your department or library has a book swap scheme.
Passing them on: If you know who’s taking the same module next year, just hand them over directly. Instant good karma.
Pots, pans, mugs, plates, mini fridges, a toaster that survived the year, someone arriving in September will need exactly those things. Your hall WhatsApp group is the fastest way to find them a home without anyone having to carry them far. If there are no takers in the group, Facebook Marketplace and Vinted works well. If out of time, the BHF will take them.
Some things just need to go: worn-out shoes, broken items, half-used toiletries, and ancient cables for devices you no longer own. That’s fine, not everything has a second life.
If you have electrical items that no longer work, look for a WEEE recycling point rather than general waste. Broken electricals shouldn’t go in a normal bin.
For toiletries and beauty products that are still good but you don’t want: some food banks accept these.
Locations of recycling & donation points at LSE
The "Back Next Year" Pile
This pile is the one people underestimate. If you’re in halls again next year, you can’t leave things in your room over summer, it’s allocated to someone else. So you have a few options
Ask family or friends to store it. If someone has the space and the goodwill, this is free and simple. Think about what’s actually worth the hassle of storing versus replacing cheaply in September.
Use a student storage service. Companies like Lovespace, Studentbeans, and Store & Go offer end-of-year collection from halls and drop-off in September. Worth comparing prices, they tend to be much cheaper per boc than self-storage.
Be honest about what you’ll actually use next year. A lot of “back next year: stuff doesn’t really need to make the trip. If you haven’t used it this year, you probably won’t use it next year either.
Before you Hand in your Keys
A quick checklist for the day itself:
- Check under the bed, behind doors, and inside every drawer.
- Take photos of your room when it’s empty. If there are any disputes about the condition later, you’ll want evidence.
- Leave everything that came with the room: hangers, mattress, and any furniture.
- Clean as you go. It is less miserable than doing it all at the end.
- Check your checkout time.
- Keep your room keys until the very last moment. You might need to go back.
Final Takeaways
Start earlier than you think:
The sorting stage alone takes longer than most people expect. Try to do your three-pile sort at least two weeks before you move out, which gives you time to list things on Vinted, find takers for your books, and not end up making panic decisions on checkout day.
Useful links:
LSESU Charity Shop: Instagram, LSESU
British Heart Foundation—what they accept
