How to Organize Your College Dorm Room

Colleges are about to open for the new year. New and returning students will be moving into their college dorm rooms. There are seven areas that need to be addressed, when it comes to getting organized. This article will provide some helpful suggestions for organizing your room, in those areas.

Bathroom
If you are fortunate enough to have your private bathroom, you are one of the lucky ones. Most colleges have one located on each floor. Totes and caddy organizers are a must. They have pockets and sleeves for storage of toiletries. If you share a room, mark your things including your tote or caddy. Doors make a good place for towel racks and robes.

Desk
This is your work area. You will spend a lot of late hours and weekends here. Look for bookends and filing trays to keep books and writing supplies organized. A caddy on the side of your desk can hold many items. The pouches on it can hold everything from Ipods to remotes. A desk with drawers can also come in handy for organization.

Doors
The back of doors are great for storage. Over the door racks are great for towels, coats, shoes and even calendars. It is also an excellent location for a mirror.

Walls
Can be used for mental organizing. You can place bulletin boards, graphs, posters, notebooks, shelves, and cloth racks on them.

Closets
Most dorms will have only one closet. If you share a room, divide your closet in half. Use the back wall of the closet for items like a vacuum, broom and floor mop. Keep these items away from your clothes. Use the top of the closet too. A few hooks can help you use the upper space of the closet.

Laundry
One of the biggest challenges is how to handle laundry items. Plastic storage boxes are a good idea for dirty clothes. You can slide these under your bed. Clothes hampers work well also. However, they will take up space.

Electric storage
If you share a dorm room, you can soon overload electrical circuits. Use voltage cords to combine and regulate your electricity usage. Unplug items not in use. Most dorm fires begin with over used electrical outlets.

Finally always coordinate storage plans with your roommate. This helps reduce tension over the course of time.