Typical dorm rooms might be very cluttered and quite inconvenient to live in. Many students know how frustrating it is to jump over the piles of various stuff and luggage cases, try to find the place for all the textbooks, or mail season clothes back and forth to your home. That’s why we think that you might like the following tips and tricks on how you can make the most out of your room and maximize dorm space. Let’s get started!
Create a Plan
Planning your living in a dorm is a crucial part that you should not skip. The first thing that you might want to do as soon as you get your room is to talk to your roommate and discuss simple rules as well as some essentials that you would like to split. For example, you don’t need two microwaves in your room, so decide who will bring one to use together.
Plan which things you will need the most and will use frequently – bedsheets, computers, basic clothes, towels, etc. These should be the first things that you should find space for. Make sure you put them in a spot that is easily accessible and then plan your space around these things.
Purchase Large Bins and Organizers
When you have everything in order, it’s easier to clean the mess as well as navigate through your belongings when you need to find something. Various organizers, bins, and boxes will help you with that.
You might want to have an organizer for your jewelry and accessories, toiletries and laundry stuff, stationery and study helpers, various cords, gadgets, and chargers. You might also want to organize your clothes in separate bins if you don’t have much space in your drawer.
Use All the Space You Can
Be sure to make the most out of the space under your bed – it’s a great place to store various things. The most convenient way is to put boxes or bins there, especially if you find ones that have small wheels on them, so you can simply roll them under your bed.
Bed Risers
You can also purchase bed risers – a tool that will help you lift your bed a little higher and thus have more storage space. Even four of five extra inches might really change the game for your storing bins. Such bed risers are very common among students so you can even thrift them from someone who is graduating and save money.
Shelves
If you have an opportunity, make sure to buy a few shelves and use the vertical space of the walls in your room – you can store snacks, textbooks, perfumes, and other things that will have a spot for them that will not take the essential space of your desk from you.
Over-the-Door Organizers
Some organizers for shoes and toiletries have the option to be hung over your door and save a lot of space. You can also use the door to hang umbrellas and coats on if you buy those over-the-door hangers. They can be simply put on the top door edge and will not require any drills or nails.
Organize Your Desk
Each student knows how hard it is to keep a desktop clean and organized. And while you might want to use this space to have a meal, study, watch Netflix, or even for your hobby, it should be neatly organized and prepared for you to use at any moment.
That’s why organizing it will surely benefit you. Stationary organizers will do as they are very common and easy to buy as well as quite easily stacked together to meet your needs. You can buy the ones that you feel are the most suitable for your requirements.
A great solution for a student is to buy magazine files where you can keep all of your papers, notes, and essays neatly stacked together and their vertical format helps you save some space on your desk.
Keep Some Things Portable
When you move into your dorm room, you probably want to set everything up as soon as possible and put things in the places where they will stay until you graduate. And while it might be true for essentials which we were talking about earlier, some things should be rather kept portable.
For example, a caddy for your bathroom essentials will be a lifesaver for you. You can keep all your toiletries in there and carry them with you whenever you go to shower – no need to look for that shampoo in your drawer. When you have a caddy like that, you are always ready to grab it and save time on finding all the small necessities like razors or cotton balls.
Another great option for your dorm room is to purchase a portable organizing cart – one with little drawers and wheels. You can easily move it around your room unlike a typical furniture item and thus not worry about taking up too much space.
Wrapping Up
Sometimes you just need to think outside of the box and add a pinch of inspiration to get the best result and make your dorm room a safe and cozy place. Even if you don’t like your dorm much, you can still make the most out of it – add some plants and cozy blankets, a few convenient organizers, a new mattress top, and here you go – a much better room.
Karen Palmer
