With the start of college just around the corner, today on Channel 69’s Sunrise Show, news anchor Eve Tannery spoke with Professional Organizer Diane Albright on how to organize a dorm room. Stores are stocked and ready to for college bound students, so now is the perfect time to begin planning and making selections.

Have ever grown to know a number of people that you wanted to throw a party for to say thanks or it is great to have met you? We are so THANKFUL for the customers that come into our store; those of you who watch us on TV, or subscribe to our newsletter and blog; and the wonderful clients we work with as Professional Organizers. You have become our family and friends. You make are jobs so rewarding, that we sometimes forget that we ARE working. My associates and I have been hard at work planning a fun event to say “thank you.” We realize only those of you within in driving distance of Allentown, PA will be attending, but all of you will be in our hearts.

Come enjoy a fun evening on us – all FREE. Bring your friends, co-workers or someone in you family for hors d’ oeuvres, desserts, a chair massage, music and drawings for gift baskets – all FREE. The first 100 people to register will receive a free gift bag of goodies at the event. Click for your offical invitation and details.

I hope to see you there!

Actual Before and After Picture
at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

If you are heading off to college this fall, July is the time to start planning and purchasing the items you need. The first part of the process is calling your roommate to coordinate a possible color scheme and determine who is bringing what to avoid duplicates and unneeded expense.

As far as a color scheme, it is always a good idea to have an accent color that is one of your school’s colors. This way when you want to add a school banner to the wall or some fun items from the bookstore, they will fit right into the color scheme of your room.

When it comes to organizing and maximizing the space in your dorm room (nowadays referred to as a residence hall) it will take more effort and it can be difficult to plan because you don’t have prior access to your room. Some colleges do have room measurements on their website. So do check with your school to see if there are pictures or a layout of your room online. 

Here are some tips to help you make the most of your space:

Under the Bed Storage

Maximizing Vertical Space

Fitting More Clothes in Your Closet

College Walls - A Must Have

Storage Space Under the Frig

 If you still have difficulty planning and setting up your dorm room, consider hiring a Professional Organizer to make a fun and efficient room. If you don’t know of one in your area, visit the National Association of Professional Organizer’s website.

In a college dorm room or any small bedroom storage space under the bed is often overlooked. First, if the bed is not raised, you can consider adding bed risers underneath the legs of the bed (if your college or university permits it). With or without risers, you can use plastic drawers, a wire basket system, containers, or bins to maximize the space under the bed. This space is ideal for items such as dirty laundry, off-season clothing, sports gear, luggage, and extra blankets. You can even have three bins to sort your laundry – white, lights, and darks as depicted in this photo of under the bed storage.

When choosing a storage system for under the bed you’ll need to consider what you are going to store in it, what your budget is, and how you will transport it to your dorm room. Plastic drawers may be less expensive but will not be as sturdy as a wire basket system made of steel. Plastic drawers may end up being too bulky to transport to new living quarters while a wire basket system can be nested and used to carry items as you move into your new room. However, wire baskets will be more costly. Collapsible bins are also a consideration as they fold down for easy transportation, but you may have difficulty purchasing them in sizes large enough to meet your storage needs.

Happy college space planning!

If there is one thing that is a must on your college shopping or packing list, it is Command™ hooks, organizers, and poster strips by 3M. The Command™ line provides for damage free decorating and organizing. This means when you leave college at the end of year, there will be no damage to the walls and you can reuse them again next year. What a huge money saver!

The Command™ line of products adheres to almost any smooth or semi-smooth surface, such as walls (with paint or wallpaper), wood, metal (your refrigerator), tile, glass and mirrors. No tools, nails, or screws are needed. The Command™ strip has special adhesive technology. When you want to remove the Command™ adhesive strip, simply pull straight down with your knuckles rubbing against the wall and as the strip stretches, the adhesive releases. Walla, the strip is off and no surface damage! It couldn’t get any easier.

Command™ has an extensive line of hooks, organizers, poster strips, and Velcro® strips. The hooks are available in sophisticated finishes such as bronze and chrome or fun colors such bright pink, green, and blue. Recently a Disney® character line of hooks was added.

To view the product line before shopping go to www.commandstrips.com or to get a coupon from 3M go to www.commandcoupon.com.  To satisfy your specific style or taste, head to Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer, and Menards where you will find the biggest selection of Command™ products.  You can also find Command™ products at your local hardware store, office supply, and grocery store.

If you want to maximize space in your closet consider switching the type of hanger you are currently using to the new slim line of hangers. You may have caught a glimpse of these hangers while out shopping. These hangers are much thinner than plastic or wood hangers, so you truly can fit more clothes in your closet as they occupy less space. It is an easy way to gain space with little investment of money and time.

Not only do these hangers save space but they prevent garments from sliding down on the hanger or falling to the floor. The hangers are covered in a velvet-like material which makes the clothing grip to it. This gripping action also eliminates the bumps you sometimes get in the shoulders of clothing from the hanger protruding out on each shoulder end. These features make this line of hanger ideal for polo shirts, sweaters, and knit fabrics.

The hangers are available in different colors form sleek black to various trendy colors. I recommend choosing a color that will still be available five years from now leaving you with the option to later add more hangers in the same color. Lines of these slimmer hangers can be found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target, and on home shopping channels.