I am going to be honest, here. I’m the annoyingly and over obsessively clean roommate. I blame it on my OCD, but I know that I just need to deal with the fact that not everyone will be as clean as me and not everything has to be so clean all of the time. I’m a pretty minimal person when it comes to clutter, so I don’t have to deal with cleaning up messes all the time.
I know college is a new experience for sharing a space with other people and not everyone is going to be the same as you—that’s totally fine. I have found that there are a lot of easy ways to minimize cleaning and messes. It takes motivation and initiative to do these things. If you do these at the beginning, you should be set for the rest of the year. Since spring is fastly approaching, it is best to carry out these things to refresh your room and finally spring clean it!
1. Communication is Key
Telling your roommates your cleaning habits is probably the first step to doing this right. You have to establish boundaries and what is okay and what is not. No one is going to appreciate someone who is fairly lazier than the other roommate and then that roommate is left taking out the garbage and cleaning the room all of the time. Setting rules or an agreement is a good idea, so that everyone does their equal part helping out.
2. Tackle Clutter First
No one likes extra crap lying around that serves no purpose or use. One of the major problems with most college students is that they create dumping grounds for “stuff.” I’ve definitely seen this in my own room and have been guilty of doing it. However, there are many storage and organization techniques to minimize and reduce all of this clutter.
First, throw out things that don’t mean anything to you or are not necessary. Decide if the objects are meaningful, and if not—toss them. Find designated bins or containers for things and you should never have to throw things on your desk to deal with later. Bins, baskets, and containers are your friends!
3. Reduce Odors and Garbage
One of the major problems in dorms is regulating the smell. Everyone has their own hygiene habits, but when it comes to your area and space, garbage and trash make the most of it smell the worst. Make sure you are regularly taking out the trash to reduce odors, mold, bugs, and all the bad stuff. No one likes a smelly room. Take the trash out.
4. Clean Up Messes Immediately
I’ve noticed that when a mess is made and not cleaned up, the mess just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. If you spill something in the microwave, clean it up immediately. It’s courteous to other people to clean up after yourself. You’re an adult!
5. Make Your Bed Regularly
I realize that there will be times when you wake up late or just can’t make your bed sometimes, but making your bed every morning sets a positive and productive mood for the day. It also makes the room look a hundred times cleaner when it is made.
6. Wash Dishes After You Use Them
The worst thing to come home to is a pile up of crusty dishes on the counter. It is best to immediately clean all dishes and put them in a specific place after you use them. If you are sharing a kitchen space, it is appreciated when there’s actually room on the counter to use.
7. Utilize Your Laundry Bin & Do It Regularly
Chaos during the week causes throwing clothes everywhere, re-wearing dirty clothes, and piles of smelly laundry. Buy a nice laundry basket and use it, but actually wash your clothes at least once a week. Even wash sheets, towels, and rugs that might need it.
Taking these small steps and using these tips will definitely improve your college dorm if you take the time and motivation to do them. It can be easy to do if your mind is up for it. Put off a day to clean and organize your space. You shouldn’t have to clean your room as much again if you put things where they are supposed to go. I know college isn’t easy, so make cleaning a simple task and something you don’t have to ever worry about again!