Declutter Your Room and Mind

Emily Brill

Arts & Entertainment Editor

In the wake of messiness and clothes scattered all over a dorm room floor, the students want to know. How do I declutter my dorm room that feels so small? Well, hopefully these words of wisdom from a seasoned college student can help you!

Start Small

When packing for school, pack the least amount of clothes you can to start off. Clothes take up a majority of the space in your room, it is easier to pack lightly when planning what you need. If you plan on getting storage to go under your bed for your clothes, get something you can stack on top of each other to create more room for storage under your bed. Try to hang as many items of clothes as you can. Make that space for yourself.

Laundry Day

That looming task piling up in the corner of your room may seem daunting, but you can do it! Doing your laundry once a week, even if it’s later at night, will prevent your hamper from becoming a tower. If it helps, schedule a time to go with your roommate so you have someone doing it with you. The hardest part lies with the folding, but the smaller amount of clothes you have to fold, the less time it will take.

Cleaning Supplies

When making a packing list, incorporate cleaning supplies into that list. Sure, your roommates may already have some, but it is better to be safe than sorry. As many spray bottle cleaning brands your brain can fathom, you might not need it…ever…but you can never know how many drinks you will spill or how much dust will accumulate. Windex, stain cleaner, glass cleaner, a duster, vacuum, anything of that magnitude, bring it.

Make Your Bed!

This one is huge. I once heard a Ted Talk about how making your bed every morning sets you up for success for the day and it’s true! Making your bed every morning makes the room already feel cleaner and put together. Having something you can already check off your to do list before you go to class is useful and important. Doing something that makes you feel successful and productive will ensure the rest of your day will be just as successful and productive.

Have a Reset Day

Always, always, always have a planned reset day to clean whatever feels cluttered to you. Whether it’s the day after a fun night or in the middle of the week when you have nothing to do. The more often you clean, the more comfortable you will feel in your room. Simple things like folding the blankets in your living room, vacuuming the carpet, or wiping down the counters of the kitchen. Anything to make you feel good about your space will help in the long run, especially being in the same room for seven to eight months out of the year.