Going off to college is an exciting time however organizing and maximizing the space in a college dorm room can be a bit challenging. Most likely you won’t be stepping foot in your room until the day you’re moving in with your belongings in tow. This means planning has to take place without dimensions and feel for the room. Room size also adds to the challenge. Your room will probably (and hopefully) be the smallest space that you ever have to live in. To ease the burden of dorm room planning and organization, I shared tips and tricks on WFMZ-TV’s Sunrise Show. (Click here for TV segment.)

This year while completing my annual “dorm room” shopping trip (I have been staging dorm rooms for the past 8 years) I was pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of innovative and reasonably priced products on the market. Shopping was fun and quick with a large selection of colors and styles to choose from.
My goal was one-stop shopping, saving time and stress. I found all the products below at the local Bed Bath & Beyond store with the exception of the refrigerator stand. The refrigerator stand is from our local and online store All Bright Ideas.

During my dorm room shopping spree the following items caught my eye:

Grommet Totes –Totes are great for storing smaller items. Toss items in and store more vertically. The sides of the tote enable you to maximize vertical storage space. The grommet on the front of the bin provides the ability to easily “grab and go.”

Bedside Caddy – This caddy keeps all your bedside needs (water bottle, iPod, tissues, eyeglasses, remote, etc.) within reach. It secures under the mattress. The bedside caddy is a must for a loft or bunk bed dweller.

Backpack Laundry Bag – This laundry bag allows you to easily transport laundry to and from the laundry room. Just slip your arms through the backpack straps. A large compartment holds laundry detergent.

Mesh Shower Tote – Finally a shower tote for the college guys out there. This masculine style tote stores and transports shower needs.

Day/Night Shower Caddy – This innovative caddy includes an insert which can be used separately allowing you to decide how much you need to tote to the bathroom. The middle section pulls out reducing the size of your tote – ideal when you don’t need to take all of your showering items with you.

Bed in a Crate – Similar to Bed in a Bag, this 11-piece crate set was created for residence hall living. You get 11 color coordinating essential items including an XL twin comforter.

Rise n’ Store – Create more storage under you bed by adding bed risers. These unique bed risers have storage compartments built in for your iPod, remote, tissues, etc. Check with your college or university to find out if bed risers are permitted in your residence hall.

Slimline Hangers – The ultra-slim design of these hangers maximize closet space so you can fit more in less space. These hangers are flocked so they hold clothing in place. Hang sweaters and other knits without getting shoulder bumps.

Desk Lamp Organizer – Organize your workspace while illuminating your desktop. The lamp base has built in compartments to store office supplies or items you would like compartmentalized.

Dorm Space Saver Shelving – Make the most out of your small space. Add freestanding shelving to your room with this behind-the-bed unit.

Refrigerator Stand – Add convenience and storage by placing your refrigerator or Microfridge on a refrigerator stand. Gain storage space underneath and you’ll no longer need to kneel to see what’s in the frig.

Large Plastic Drawers (available in store-in at Bed Bath & Beyond) – Maximize the space under your bed by adding drawers or a wire basket system. Store sweaters, sports gear, blankets or off-season clothing.

Command Hooks (available at office supply, grocery, hardware, and craft stores) – These hooks and poster strips are a must for college bound students. Command provides damage-free organizing and decorating. Easily hang a curtain rod with Command hooks. Get a Command coupon.

Most colleges and universities provide a checklist of recommended items to bring. Check your college’s website to see if they offer a checklist. Here’s a packing list for college to get you well on your way.

Wishing you a wonderful college experience,

All Bright Ideas
is pleased to announce
the opening of our newest location
in
The Villages, Florida!

We proudly offer our professional organizing services in the Sunshine State to anyone living within an hour radius of The Villages including, but not limited to, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa. Our services in Florida will be provided by our experienced Professional Organizers who travel back and forth between Pennsylvania and Florida and include, but are not limited to, de-cluttering, space maximization, organizing, paper management, time management, and unpack and setup of homes.

If you are a Floridian and are in need of organization, please email us or give us a call at 866 NEAT 911. 

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 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.

The way to maximize space in any area is to “go vertical.” When you add storage components to a small room be sure to build up as high as you can go. A person typically can reach a foot higher than their own height to pull something down off of a shelf.The photo is from a residence hall room I set up at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.

The pictured wire basket system worked ideally to maximize height and storage space in this on-campus room. The top of the double-stacked set of wire baskets (far left corner) has a height of 84 inches or 7 feet.  The top basket is easy to pull out and use, but keep in mind that something lightweight and non-breakable should be placed in the top basket such as sweaters, sheets or blankets. 

In this picture you’ll see three wire baskets systems for maximizing the height in a room. These systems are ideal for a college residence hall or apartment.

Happy organizing and space maximizing!