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Dorm life is an exciting experience. There are so many new people and new experiences, from late-night parties to late-night study sessions. You’ll have plenty of both. But one thing you probably won’t have a lot of is space. Dorm rooms are notoriously compact and often shared with another person, making a tight space even tighter. But don’t worry. We have some tricks to help you get the most out of the room you do have.
Most dorm rooms have a closet or a standing wardrobe. But not all closets are built with equal utility, meaning that there could be a lot of wasted space. To make the most of your storage, accessorize your closet with easily adaptable storage solutions.
Sometimes there just isn’t enough hanging space in a dorm closet. Add an additional bar with a closet extender. Closet extenders hang from the original clothing bar and don’t need to be drilled into place (a big no-no for dorm rooms) making them are a must-have for those with large wardrobes.
Maximize closet space with the right hangers. Slim profile hangers take up less width and allow you to fit more clothes into your closet. They also usually come with some sort of textured grip to prevent clothes from sliding off.
You can also opt for tiered hangers. Tiered hangers exploit more space by letting you hang multiple items vertically instead of side by side. You can put several pairs of pants or shirts on the same hanger, allowing you to both save space and organize your closet by clothing type.
Some closets are little more than big, empty spaces. Though the room can be nice, the lack of organization can become problematic. Make your closet more functional with a few additions.
Shelves are a great addition to any closet as they allow you to utilize vertical space that might otherwise remain empty. They make the perfect place to store items like extra bags, shoes, or folded sweaters and t-shirts. If your closet doesn’t have shelves, look for closet organizer systems, compact shelves, or even folding shelf systems that hang from the closet rod.
You need someplace to store smaller items, such as underclothing, socks, or hats and gloves. Adding drawers is an excellent way to keep those items neat and organized. A great place for drawers is the lower half of the closet which can often become a dumping ground for messy backpacks and random items. Take advantage of that space and keep it neat with a set of portable drawers. These drawers can be a single unit or part of a modular set of stacking drawers. Foldable fabric drawers are also a good option if there is plenty of shelf space, but not much else. If there isn’t room inside your closet for a set of drawers, you can get a set of rolling drawers that can be nestled into an unused nook until you need to access your items.
Adding over-the-door storage is a great way to not only expand your available space, but to organize your items. Fabric organizers with flexible pockets are perfect for shoes, towels, or smaller items, while collapsible over-the-door shelves are larger and great for everything from cleaning supplies and toiletries to basic food and dish storage. More structured over-the-door racks, like pantry organizers, can support heavier items such as bottles full of liquid or cooking supplies. You’ll find that you have a lot of random items that accumulate, so it’s good to have an organized place to put them.
Your bed is an important piece of furniture. Not only will it be where you nap and sleep (if you sleep), it will also often serve as a study space and a corner to just hang out. However, the bed also takes up a whole lot of room. Reclaim some of that space with under-bed storage.
Many beds come with a low clearance and don’t make for great storage. Expand that space with bed risers. Available in a variety of heights, bed raisers can lift your bed just a few inches, or up to a couple of feet. This added height provides plenty of room for under-the-bed organization. Note: Some dorm rooms have limitations on bed riser usage or height, so check your dorm’s rules before purchasing.
Keep that underbed space organized and easily accessible with drawers and tubs. Under-the-bed storage drawers and tubs often come with wheels or easy-slide designs to make it simple to retrieve and neatly store your items. Many even include removable or zip-top lids to keep your items free of dust.
Another option to consider if you’re really into underbed storage is using a loft bed. A loft bed is like a bunkbed with only a top bunk. Underneath the bed can then be utilized as a free space, perfect for a desk, additional clothing storage, or even a grouping of chairs for hanging out.
Dorm rooms usually come with a lot of blank walls. Utilize that wall space for extra storage and decoration.
Shelving space can be hard to come by in a dorm room. Add a storage headboard or over-the-bed shelves to your room for a convenient place to keep your schoolbooks or other supplies. Both options are placed at the head of your bed. Storage headboards tend to be very sturdy, but they can be quite thick, so they may not fit in all dorm rooms. Over-the-bed shelves take up less space and provide many of the same benefits.
A small nightstand or cube shelf unit that can work as a nightstand is a great addition to any dorm room. Nightstands are perfect for keeping any bedtime essentials nearby, like a reading lamp, a glass or water, or your favorite book. They are also the best place to store any study essentials.
Since putting holes in dorm walls is generally frowned upon, removable wall hooks are a great solution if you need to hang items. Wall hooks can be placed around your room to hang up decorations like pictures and twinkle lights, but they can also be used to organize items like scarves, towels, jackets, hats, and keys. Dorm rooms often have notoriously slick walls, so you may have to use your hooks on doors, the sides of your closet, or even on the ends of some of those shelves you’ve added.
Your desk is an important part of college life. Keep your desk spacious and organized, and ready for study. Or for gaming. Whatever.
A desk hutch or a set of low shelves paired with a desktop organization system will allow you to keep the desktop clear from clutter while providing space for your books, notebooks, pens, highlighters, and more. Include a cord management system to keep wires and chargers easily accessible, but not messy.
You’ll also be getting a lot of assignments, books, and papers. Though many of them will probably be digital, a fair number will be printed out. Make sure you have plenty of file folders and binders to keep your piles of homework from becoming a mess.
Sometimes the biggest issue with a dorm room isn’t space, it’s order. Use smaller organization systems that can be stowed on shelves, in cubbies, or in cabinets to keep frequently used items close at hand, and rarely used items tucked out of the way.
Keep must-reach items close by with a bedside shelf or caddy. Designed to attach to your bed, bedside caddies and shelves create an easy-to-reach spot for books, remotes, laptops, and cell phones so you don’t have to get up to put your stuff away when you’re ready to go to bed.
Keep your toiletries organized and on-hand with a shower caddy. If you have a semi-private bathroom that you share with only a few people, it is likely that you will be able to leave your bathroom items in the bathroom. Keep your items organized and separate from your those of your roommates with a shower caddy or shower shelf that is designed to be left in the bathroom.
If you have a bathroom that you have to share with your whole dorm room floor, get yourself a portable tote with a handle that makes it easy to tote your toiletries when it comes time to shower. Find a shower caddy that can hang from a hook so you don’t have to set your items on the shower floor.
If your dorm room includes a mini fridge, don’t let it just take up space. Use it! Place a fridge stand with shelves under the fridge, or use an over-the-side fridge caddy to store plates, cutlery, cups, and condiments. If your dorm room has the space, you can even make yourself an entire kitchen center with a fridge, a microwave, and a drink station.
Baskets are perfect when you have a lot of hard-to-reach spaces that you would still like to utilize, such as at the top of a closet. Smaller baskets can also help you organize larger empty spaces, such as drawer interiors.
Don’t use up all of your storage space on move-in day. There will be tons of school books, papers, accessories, and additional clothing that you will accumulate over the school year. Leave yourself a little room to grow.
