Great Ideas for New College Students and Dorm Room Living
Introducing Dorm Decks from life Hack Decks™ and the owners of The Uncluttered Life, Inc. The Uncluttered Life is a home organization and time management company that specializes in decluttering and organizing. We also are efficiency experts and work with individuals to set up simple, productive, easy to navigate routines.
With our Dorm Deck, we provide hack decks that make life a little simpler for the first year away at college. We show you how to maximize your time and take fewer unnecessary steps. In this instance, we show you some dorm room hacks that help you have a wonderful dorm room living experience. Dorm living now is much different from my day.
College Dorm Rooms by Target, Amazon, Pottery Barn Teen, The Container Store and Dormify Make College Living Easier
When I went away to college, everything I needed to take with me fit neatly into a trunk. An army trunk. I put the army trunk at the end of my extra-long dorm room bed, used it for storage, and called it a day. That was then. This is now.
Now, dorm room organization and decoration is a huge business. Companies that are big-hitters in this field are Dormify, The Container Store®, Target, Amazon, and Pottery Barn Teen. In my day, it was Venture for toiletries. That was about it.
Now, I’m watching my friend send her children off to college. Creative decorating and organization for a college dorm room are a real thing. Who knew? Not me. As I’ve watched her pack a headboard, hutch, sheets, regular-sized pillows, European pillows, decorative pillows, mattress pads, towels, school supplies, and toiletries (just to start), I’m thinking to myself that I didn’t get this much stuff when I got married. Times have really changed. So, too, has dorm room organization.
Dorm Room Organization and Decorating
With some planning and strategic purchases, your student will have absolutely everything they need to turn a dorm room into a comfortable and cozy "home away from home" for their time away at college. That's great. A logical question I asked my friend is, "When it’s time to go home for the summer, where will they put it all?" There’s a solution for that, too!
Here are a few highlights that I have learned from watching her:
Vertical Space is Key:
If you refer to The Uncluttered Life, Inc.’s Organizing Hacks 101 blog, you’ll see that we love vertical space. For college dorm rooms, vertical space is best served by over the door or behind the door storage systems. There are a multitude of choices, ranging from ones sold on Amazon to others at The Container Store®. The objective is to get as much space for your buck as possible. Using the back side of a door is a perfect place to start. In the hanging door storage (pockets or shelves) students can stash shoes, toiletries, scarves and gloves, school supplies, and anything that fits in the little pockets or on the shelves.
Plastic Drawers:
Plastic drawers can be used as a nightstand or to store additional items such as school supplies, medicine, extra toothpaste, and face wash, Covid tests, you name it. They come in a variety of sizes and can be stored under lofted bed, as well (see below). There are a lot of good options at Target that come in a variety of sizes, shapes, styles and colors.
Command Hooks:
My friend told me that her daughter’s school discourages Command hooks, but that there is a work-around. Instead of putting the Command hook right on the wall, place painters’ tape on the wall first, then put the Command hook over it. It shouldn’t leave any marks. Command hooks can be taken down without damaging the walls when it’s time to move out. They’re sold everywhere. I found the site, How to Hang Wall Art In Your Dorm Room - Without Getting In Trouble, to be particularly helpful for dorm room wall decor. (By the way, my son was a fan of Command hooks in college when he lived in an apartment, so I’m very familiar with these.)
Desk Hutch:
I was shocked when my friend told me she was buying hutches for her student’s dorm room. Hutches? Seriously? Yes, it’s a real thing. Hutches for on top of the desk help to maximize vertical and wall space. Hutches give students a place to put their books. They can be purchased from Amazon, another student, or you can even build a hutch yourself.
Under-Bed Storage:
Every school has a different policy pertaining to under-bed storage options. Some students opt to raise their bed to the highest level the frame will go to store lower items underneath. In this situation, what's best are stacked plastic storage containers. Other students rent or purchase lofts, which also give students a good deal of clearance under the bed to place a desk. Others choose less expensive options like risers that come in a variety of heights. Whichever option a student chooses, one of these ideas will provide much-needed storage space to put either a desk, extra clothing and coats, or overflow toiletries and items.
Great Dorm Hacks from Dorm Deck™
Let’s face it, there are a ton of dorm hacks to help students find extra space and storage in a dorm room. Whether your budget is unlimited, or restricted to less than a few hundred dollars, you can find ideas at Amazon or Target without spending a fortune.
I remember going to college and spending $79 for everything I needed. That was years ago, and times have changed. But the essential ideas are still pretty much the same. College teaches great life lessons, and dorm room living is one of the best experiences most college students will have. Dorm room space can be tight, so good organization, and a few hacks, make dorm rooms feel bigger and brighter.
Enjoy your year! We hope a few of these ideas help ease the transition and free up a little extra space.
About Dorm Decks
Dorm Deck is a deck of 52 card prompts that help ease the transition from living at home to living independently in a dorm. The prompts help first year college students get out ahead of the curve of college life by assisting with time management, organization, and dorm room living. The deck is full of unique and quality ideas that make the first year of college fun and more organized. Dorm Deck helps college students succeed while making college life feel a little more personal. Little touches and dorm room hacks can make all the difference.
Give the gift of Dorm Deck as a high school graduation gift, going away to college gift, or for anyone leaving home for the first time to attend school away. These decks are inexpensive, at $19.95, and provide essential information for living alone or in a dorm for the first time.