How to Maximize Space in Your Dorm Room

When I first moved into my dorm room on my college campus during freshman year, I gasped at the lack of space that there was. I knew that I would have to share my room with a total stranger and the room was barely big enough to fit one person and his stuff. I wondered aloud how on earth I would be able to fit everything especially since college kids accumulate things such as textbooks and clothing as the semester and year progresses. However, as the semester went on, I learned some very valuable tips from my peers on how to make more room for my belongings and everything turned out to be just fine. Here are my tips for making more space in your small and crowded dorm room.

The first bit of advice I would like to share with you is to buy cylinder blocks which are put under your bed. Cylinder blocks can be bought at Lowe's hardware store or Home Depot or even Walmart. Cylinder blocks are also inexpensive to buy. The great thing about cylinder blocks is that they raise the bed off of the floor. This allows you to store things underneath your bed such as your luggage and excess clothing. Any sports equipment that you bring to college such as a tennis racket or baseball glove can be stored under your bed. I would suggest that for any item you need everyday, you should put it someplace other than underneath your bed.

My second bit of advice is to maximize your closet space. Most dorm rooms come with a closet and for many college students; they don't take full advantage of that space. In your closet, you can hang shirts and jackets onto the pole in the closet. You can also store items that you have on the bottom shelf of the interior of the closet and if the closet has any shelves you can put your belongings there like a poker or chess set. Finally, on the top of your closet you can store more belongings.

Communal bathrooms are my third tip of the article. Communal bathrooms are usually shared between roommate and most likely suitemates of four or five people. You can store your bathroom items like a razor, toothbrush, shampoo, soap, towels and deodorant in the cabinet in the communal bathroom.

Furniture organization can also be significant. You want to arrange the furniture in your dorm room to maximize space. Therefore, if you have a dresser than can fit underneath a bed or a television that can fit on top of a file cabinet, you should do so to make more room.

Finally, I would suggest sharing appliances like a television, refrigerator, microwave or freezer. By sharing these appliances you can create more space in your dorm room for your belongings. The easiest way of doing this is to speak to your roommate before moving into your dorm room and figure out who brings what appliances. You definitely don't need two televisions or two refrigerators in your dorm room.