How to Survive Your College Dorm Space...Rather Lack Thereof!

Space saving and storage solutions for the college dorm....think closet organizers, under-the-bed storage, shoe racks and decorative key and wall hooks. The Shop at Clares team has decades of experience with those little dorm rooms! To prepare yourself for this venture, we recommend that you move into your home closet for about four weeks prior to arriving at school. We promise that this will help make your dorm room seem HUGE.

First and foremost...you can't take it all. Don't even try! Pack light and only the bare necessities and we all agree that the cell phone, iPod, and computer are necessities. If you have a laptop, rather than a desktop computer, then you are even further a head in the space game.

The ultimate solution for extra dorm space is bed risers that allow for extra storage underneath your bed. Corrugated plastic storage boxes are a durable and colorful way to store any of your belongings under your bed. If you are lucky enough to have a loft bed, several of these boxes can be stacked on top of each other. Students have used them to lug clothing to and from home, because they fit nicely in a trunk or back seat of the car. Then when they get back to school they just slide them under the bed - no need to unpack.

Clothing...Only bring the clothing for the current season with you. Switch out tank tops for sweaters when you go home for the holidays. If you have to store clothes at school, but won't need them for a couple of months, then vacuum storage bags will save you tons of space. They can be stored in the closet on a shelf or on the floor, or even under the bed, while keeping your clothes dust and dirt free.

Shoes...storage for these comes in all sorts of styles: hanging pocket organizers, under the bed boxes, revolving shoe trees, stacking shoe racks and of course, the easiest...thrown in the bottom of your closet. Crocs and flip flops do well when thrown in a box, such as the corrugated storage boxes we mentioned earlier. Other, more organized solutions for shoe storage are pocket style hanging shoe organizers and stacking shoe racks. The pocket shoe organizers are also great for storing fashion accessories, such as scrunchies, scarves and belts.

Accessories...While we are thinking about closet organizers, a hanging pocket jewelry organizer takes up less space than a jewelry box and gives you easy access to your earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. When heading home or traveling, just pack the whole organizer - your jewelry will stay in place and be ready to hang up at your destination. Also, a belt hanger with hooks or arms is for more than just belts...scarves, necklaces, ties, and small purses fit nicely on these, while taking up very little space in your closet.

Wall space...somewhere amongst all the pictures and posters plastered on your wall, you should have some sort of wall hooks for keys, towels, and clothing. Our key and wall hooks can be mounted without putting holes in the wall, thanks to adhesive mounting products. Not only will these hooks add some color to your wall space, they will help to declutter your living space.

After you graduate and get your first real job, all of these space saving and organizing ideas will easily transition to an apartment...which is another story in itself. Most of these survival products are listed in our Shop At Clares e-store.

BIG Laundry Solutions for the LITTLE Dorm Room

Shop at Clares has laundry solutions for the little dorm room - hampers, indoor drying racks, portable ironing boards and more to help you take care of your laundry while in the dorm and away at college. We have decades of experience with those little dorm rooms! To prepare yourself for this adventure, we highly recommend that you move into your home closet for about 4 weeks prior to arriving at school. We promise that this will help make your dorm room seem huge.

Taking laundry home every weekend for your mom to do is not a solution! First of all, you will need a place to throw the dirty laundry and the floor is no longer an option, since you will no longer have floor space. We have a variety of laundry bags and hampers that are popular with the college crowd as well as our post graduates! Many of these easily transport to the laundry room or fold up to store out of sight.

Hopefully you know the ins and outs of how to wash your clothes. If not you will have to take it as an elective or find a neat freak to do it for you. Should you chose the do-it-yourself laundry path, we have some suggestions about how to avoid the frustrations associated with doing laundry. Be forewarned that clothing left in a washer or dryer in a shared laundry area may not end up back in your closet! Take a text book with you and study while waiting for your laundry (sorry, we had to throw that in).

Little loads of wash cost just as much as the full loads, so we recommend that your share the washer with a friend. Place your smaller articles of clothing like tops, hosiery and underwear in mesh wash bags. Not only does this make sorting your clothes easier, it also cuts down on the wear and tear of your clothes. Mesh bags come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and have many other uses, such as washing sweaters.

Save money and time by air drying your clothes. The question is how to do that when you don’t have a yard and your dorm room is already crammed with real essentials for college. The answer is portable folding drying racks! These are very economical, easy to setup, take up very little space and fold-away to store in your closet or under your bed.


Finally, the necessary evil – ironing. In a dorm this seems almost impossible, but believe us, there are ways. An over the door ironing board is one solution, but our favorites are the tabletop ironing boards and if you are really strapped for space, clear off the desk and use an ironing blanket.

We welcome other college laundry solutions from those who have been there, done that, and survived. To check out these solutions and find other great ideas go to our Shop At Clares e-store.