It’s easy to let your college room to get very messy very fast. As a collegiette, you are no doubt always on the run, and most likely living in a space that is much smaller than what you’re used to. And we ladies tend to have a lot of, well, stuff. Only in college will you need to cram a stuffed costume box under your bed, as well as store a shower caddy anywhere else than in an actual bathroom. It can be hard to block out the time for an in-depth “spring cleaning” so to speak, but these quick five steps will keep your room from looking like the basement of Delta Tau Chi in Animal House. External tidiness contributes to internal peace, and helps keep both your personal and academic life organized. So even if you just have five minutes to kill before class, knock out at least one of these quick and easy steps!
1) Make your bed
Making your bed is the easiest thing you can do that will instantly make your room look cleaner. The bed is often what people notice first when they walk into a dorm room, so don’t just leave your comforter in a bundle on the floor! Furthermore, you probably spend as much time in your bed over the course of a semester as you do in the library, so show your extra-long twin some love. Tuck the sheets in, straighten out your bedspread, and fluff and rearrange the pillows. Your room looks infinitely better in almost no time! Your bed should be a personal haven that you gladly crawl into at the end of a long day, so respect it, and make it every morning.
2) Put your clothes where they belong
One of my worst personal habits is failing to hang clothes back up. If I pull a shirt off a hanger and decide not to wear it, I will most likely fling it right onto my nicely made bed, when it would probably take less than ten seconds to put back on the hanger in the closet. Putting your clothes in their appropriate locations will reduce the bulk of the surface mess that is making your tiny space look cluttered. If your towel is hanging over the back of your desk chair, hang it up! Put your dirty gym shorts and socks in the laundry hamper! Fold the three sweaters on the floor and put them in a drawer! Putting clothes away, or throwing them in the hamper, takes so little time, yet makes a world of a difference.
3) Get rid of the trash
It is easy for your desk to transform itself into a bar over the weekend, and it’s even easier to ignore those bottles and solo cups that have piled up by Sunday morning. Even on a typical weekday, it is easy to overlook the Cliff Bar wrappers that have begun to form a carpet, or the tissues that pile up next to your bed when you’re sick. However, having old trash littered across your room is not only trash-y, but can also smell bad…and no one wants to be trashy or have an odor-infested space. Look around your room, and put any coffee cups, cans, crumpled receipts, or take-out containers in the trash. Then take that trash OUT. Do not do your room the disservice of leaving a disposable mess all over the place. Putting your waste in the garbage takes almost no time, and spruces your room right up.
4) Address the surface mess
The papers and folders from all your classes will no doubt accumulate over the course of a semester. You probably have a number of books for a research paper in one class that will get mixed up with those for a comparative study in another class – if you don’t keep your desk and respective course binders organized. If you have a slew of papers spread out on your desk, take the time to sort them into their appropriate folders. Neatly group your textbooks and other class materials by subject. Stack your magazines, put your scissors, tape, and pens in the drawer, and return that overdue library book that has been lurking on your desk the past few weeks. Even just straightening up your materials makes your desk a much more organized, productive space.
Similarly, if your vanity area is cluttered with tubes of make-up and bottles of various lotions and scrubs, put them back in their proper places. I have a separate basket just for the items I use daily – my contact lens solution, lotions, hair dryer, etc. Always knowing where you keep your routine necessities will make your day run smoother – just remember to take the extra few seconds to put those items back in the right basket when you’re done with them!
5) Swipe and spray
No need to bust out the steam cleaner, but keep a small handheld vacuum in your room so you can easily get rid of any visible dirt on the floor or carpet. Keep in mind though, that while a vacuum will handle all the visible crud, it won’t take care of everything. Keep Clorox or Lysol disinfecting wipes on hand at all times, and routinely wipe down your desk, dresser, drawers, doorknob – whatever surfaces you frequently touch. We all know college is a breeding ground for germs, and if one of your friends gets sick, it will spread like wildfire amongst your circle. Take a few seconds to attack the invisible bacteria lurking in your space and protect yourself from the flu! Lastly, before running out the door to class, spray an air freshener or Febreeze on your linens and in your closet. Now your room not only looks tidy, it also smells nice.
Your room is the one space on campus that is truly yours (unless you share it with a roommate, and then I sincerely hope you two keep it clean together.) Your room may be small, but it is yours and you should maximize its utility by putting your clothes, toiletries, and books in their proper places. Despite your busy schedule, take five minutes at the start and end of every day to maintain your space. I promise you it will become an intrinsic habit that will benefit you throughout life, especially when you move out of a dorm and into your first real apartment.