After a relentless winter, spring has finally arrived! How are you spreading spring cheer? Picking flowers? Jumping in April showers? Adjusting to daylight savings? Or, doing some good old fashioned spring cleaning? Here are a few tips for cleaning out and brightening your dorm room (a room which as somehow unbeknownst to you accumulated double the stuff of what it can actually hold!).
Get rid of old papers
After first semester finals week, I jumped on an Amtrak and headed home for a much anticipated winter break. What I left behind was a drawer full of papers, reminiscent of my first semester classes. Did you do the same? Spring is the perfect time to clean out this drawer, or backpack, or shelf and organize any and all papers. Whether they’re well articulated study guides, doodles form class, or that application that somehow never quite made it to where it was supposed to go, take some time to shuffle through them and pick and choose what might be useful in the future and what is no longer applicable. After doing this, you will not only be more organized but undoubtedly feel a weight lifted off your shoulders.
Earn back cash!
What college student wouldn’t appreciate a little extra cash for ventures on and off campus? Take a look at some of your books and textbooks from previous semesters and bring whichever ones are no longer of use to the campus bookstore. While you might not earn back exactly what you paid for it, at least you’ve made some space in your room and gained a little bit of cash in the process.
Doesn’t fit? Toss, Donate, DIY
Clean out your closet! After nearly eight months away at school, not only will some things not necessarily sit the way they used to, but your sense of style might have evolved as well. When going through your closet and drawers, I would suggest making three separate piles for tossing, donating, and recycling. Toss items that you no longer want, but that are not in the best shape for donation (usually pieces that are ripped, stained, stretched out, etc.) The next pile will be one for donation. These items may be lightly worn. Ask yourself, “if I hadn’t grown out of it, would I still wear it?” Usually, if the answer is yes, it is safe to donate. Lastly, DIY (do it yourself!) You can cut and add graphic fabrics to some pieces of clothing like shirts and jeans to expose your inner fashion designer and knack for creativity. Maybe turn those too-skinny jeans into frayed shorts or join the fringe revolution by adding some fringe to that plain white tee.
Check Expiration Dates
Shuffle through that stash of food in your room and see what is still edible and what has surpassed its’ expiration date. This not only goes for food but for types of medications and cosmetic products.