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It’s that time of year when college students and their families will begin turning their attention to shopping for new school supplies, especially for the dorm room that the student will soon be spending more than a little time in. This can be especially hard for freshmen heading into a college dorm for the very first time.
As we all know, most dorm rooms are tiny and most freshman do have to share their space with at least one roommate. The potential is certainly there for complete disorganized chaos, but it does not have to be that way. With a little planning and some strategic purchases, you or your student will have everything they need to create a functional and cozy home-away-from-home!
Here are some helpful dorm room organization tips and ideas to get you started and organize a college dorm room from day one.
Practice Dorm Closet Organization From Day 1
Whether your kid attends a big university or a smaller college, the chances are that they will be living in a dorm room with a tiny closet. A reach-in closet with a single bar and, if they’re lucky, a shelf is typical of a dorm room closet. Fortunately, I have plenty of college dorm organizing ideas and advice to help you make the most of every square inch of that space.
Double Up on Hanging Space
Given that your child probably won’t have the room to set up an ironing station (or even have the time or inclination to iron anyway) hanging prone to wrinkles clothing is a must. However, one look at that tiny closet, and it’s lone hanging rail, and it’s easy to assume most of their clothes will need to be folded and stacked (more on that in a moment) or taken back home.
There are however some easy ways to double, or even triple the available hanging space in the average dorm closet. The first is to make use of a rod doubler. It installs in minutes and simply hangs a second clothing rod under the existing rod, making use of wasted vertical space. Essentially, it adds a second hanging bar without the needs for the nails and screws that the college almost certainly bans students from using anyway.
The second option to hang more stuff in that little closet is to buy space-saving hangers. There are a number of different options, but those that ‘drop down’ and can accommodate several pairs of jeans/skirts/pants at once are particularly useful.
If your kid is lucky enough to have a wider dorm closet, you may even be able to fit in a hanging sweater organizer that will provide easily visible hanging storage for sweaters, t-shirts, underwear, workout gear and maybe even light shoes like yoga shoes and flip-flops.
Add Some Extra Drawers
Don’t let the space under hanging clothes go to waste! Adding a drawer unit or stacking storage drawers on the floor of a dorm closet will go a long way to making the most of it. Store everything from undies and nightshirts to workout gear, socks, leggings and t-shirts.
To help them stay organized, and be able to find what they are looking for when rushing to class, clear plastic drawers are often the best choice for students, especially as decor issues won’t be a problem once the closet door is closed.
Contain All Those Shoes
The issue of what to do with shoes and sneakers is the next major stumbling block. There are a few options available to you (or if they have lots of shoes you may want to use multiple solutions). On the closet floor, shoe organizers and cubbies that stack work well. Drop-front boxes or shoe drawers can also be stacked on a shelf. The use of an over-the-door organizer is always a brilliant option too. Alternatively, as previously suggested, you can hang an organizer from the closet rod.
Add a Temporary Modular Closet
If your kid sees their dorm room closet and, even when utilizing ll the tricks I’ve mentioned here, won’t have room to hang everything – this may be especially true of heavier coats and jackets, you could, if there is space in the room, add a temporary modular cube closet. These changeable cube based closets are relatively inexpensive and pretty simple to assemble, and while they are not as sturdy as a standard closet they will help a lot, and some options are very attractive as well!
Make Use of Vertical Storage
Over the door shoe racks are an efficient and inexpensive way to get your shoes off the floor, but they can do so much more. They are perfect for storing gloves, small toiletries, makeup palettes, pens, pencils, gadget chargers and more. If you are willing to spend a little more (but not too much) an over the door shelving system can offer even more.
More College Dorm Organizing Tips
Now that you have a good handle on dorm closet organization, it’s time to move on to the rest of the space.
Make Command Products Your New Best Friends
Most dorms do have a rule that no nails or push pins can be used on the walls, which leaves some students feeling like they are doomed to stare at four blanks walls for the year. But thanks to Command Products (as offered by 3M) you can actually secure all kinds of things to the walls as they are strong, but easily removable and won’t leave marks.
You can make use of Command hooks to hang coats, towels, dressing gowns and, if you purchase the heavy-duty versions, even backpacks and purses. Command Poster Strips are a great way to add some color and interest to the walls without breaking the rules.
Make Full Use of Underbed Storage
Most college dorm beds are raised of the ground to a certain degree at least, offering you a great spot to store ‘stuff’ but that storage will only be helpful if it’s organized from the start. One way to do that is purchase a number of clear plastic storage containers and pack them in an organized – and labelled – manner before you leave.
There are some excellent choices available, some of which even act as drawers that should fit easily under most standard college beds (they all do tend to buy pretty much the same ones)
Organize Your Bathroom Routine
Whether you are sharing a bathroom with the entire floor or just with a handful of roommates keeping everything you need for the bathroom in an easy to store, easy to carry shower caddy will not only help you keep your room neater but also help ensure you can make a quick getaway to the bathroom on those days when you find yourself pressed for time.
Keep Those Cords Organized
Trailing charger cords from all of your electronics – and you probably have a lot of them – can get disorganized and messy quickly in a small space. The answer? Attach binder clips to the back or side of your desk, then thread the cords through the loop to keep them accessible and organized.
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