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18 Best Dorm Room Organization Ideas

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The best time of your life has begun if you have just started college. Indeed it might seem a bit challenging at first, and one of the common difficulties college students face is settling into their dorm rooms.

Typically these rooms are small, and a couple or more students have to share these. As college students, you also have to carry loads of books, equipment, gadgets, and more. And after a long day’s lectures, study sessions, and parties, we hate to come home to a cluttered room.

So how do you fix that? Well, no matter how small your space is, organizing it properly can make it look neater and more spacious. A bit of rearrangement, adding a few more storage options, and keeping things in the right places can help you settle in and feel at home in the dorm room.

Scroll down and check out the 18 wonderful dorm room organization ideas that will make your college life comfortable.

Outline

18 Best Dorm Room Organization Ideas

1. Buy a Hutch

Desktop Organizer Office Storage Adjustable Display Bookshelf Double Shelf Desk Supplies for Office Kitchen Multipurpose Rack

We are often left struggling to fit in additional books, pen holders, and more on our regular table. These things make the space look cluttered and unorganized. Moreover, your showpieces can fall off a regular table.

Instead, this hutch can provide you with ample space to keep everything handy such as books, gifts, ornaments, and more. 

You can paint it yourself to blend in with your dorm room decor. You can also buy used ones to save money as these can last for a long time.

Buy it on Amazon.

2. Use Drawers & Under the Bed Space

Via Madieads|Instagram

Dorm rooms are typically smaller than your apartments. Hence it can be challenging to keep stuff like your football, bags, etc. without making the space too cluttered—these rooms hardly have enough space for furniture. In such circumstances, you should keep a basket, a few drawers, and use the area under the bed.

You can use a chest of drawers to keep the space organized. It’s not necessary to purchase a brand new one, used ones will work fine too.

3. Use a Whiteboard 

Via Sophialee

Whiteboards may seem old-fashioned as mobiles have become our personal assistants. But they will make the wall look more appealing and also make it easier to spot to-do chores and important things. You can also leave reminders for your roomies on the whiteboard.

The whitespace on the walls also adds a light of positivity and makes the room look more spacious.

4. Use Fewer Pillows

Via brooke_.edwards|Instagram

It would help if you kept as few pillows as you can in your room because these fluffy items just make the space cluttered.

On a single bed in a dorm room, you won’t need many pillows anyway; you should also choose lighter-colored pillow covers for them. It helps the pillows blend in with the sheets and won’t make them stand out much. Having too many of these can leave your room looking dirty again.

RELATED:  10 Clever Fridge Organization Ideas for a Perfect Fridge

5. Buy Jewelry Organizers

Comfify Rustic Jewelry Organizer - Wall Mounted Jewelry Holder w/Removable Bracelet Rod, Shelf & 16 Hooks - Perfect Earrings, Necklaces & Bracelets Holder - Pure White

If you are a fan of oversized earrings and hoops along with bracelets and chains, you might find it hard to pick these out from the cupboard or drawer every day. The typical college student’s closet is also cluttered with a lot of fancy stuff.

You can use the wall space for storing all your accessories with the help of this rustic jewelry organizer. These are easier to find there and look great too. It will enhance the wall’s decor, and you can flaunt your assorted collection too. 

Buy it on Amazon.

6. Use Door Space

24 Pockets - SimpleHouseware Crystal Clear Over The Door Hanging Shoe Organizer, Gray (64'' x 19'')

The space on the back of the doors is just as unused as of that under the bed. If you haven’t been hanging clothes or so on the back of the entrance door, consider hanging your shoes there. You can make a full-fledged storage space with this amazing 24 pocket door hanging organizer.

The door shoe organizers work best if you have an abundance of shoe options just like me. You can keep your sneakers, heels, flats, and sandals well organized too.

You can also keep other utility items like brushes, combs, hair care products, and more here too. 

Buy it on Amazon.

7. Cube Storage 

ClosetMaid 1107 Decorative 3-Cube Storage Organizer, White

Get your hands on a cube organizer for your dorm room—you can buy it at cheap rates from Amazon, or you can also buy old ones. You can keep your makeup as well as hair care products over here.

These can be placed in the corners and hence are a perfect fit for the dorm rooms. They will also make good use of vertical space.

Buy it on Amazon.

8. Clothing Rack

Simple Trending Standard Clothes Garment Rack, Clothing Rolling Rack with Mesh Storage Shelf on Wheels, Bronze

One of the significant issues with dorm rooms is the compact size of closets—they are just barely enough to contain your daily wear. I had been struggling to find a place to hang my long overcoats until I bought this garment rack.

This clothing rack is portable, fits anywhere, and you can hang a lot of clothes here. It’s well worth your money too. You can also keep your suitcases, daily wear shoes as well as purses there.

Buy it on Amazon.

9. Use DIY Charging Stations

Via Onegoodthingbyjillee

It’s stupid to expect the charging port right at your bedside in the dorm room; it’s seldom there. But you can quickly fix this long-standing issue that makes your room unorganized with tangled cables lying around—use these easy to craft charging stations.

These are quirky crafts that will help store your cables and make the room look neat and peaceful. The cute boxes also enhance the aesthetics of the room.

10. Buy a Bedside Organizer

Zafit 6 Pockets Bedside Storage Organizer, Table cabinet Storage Organizer Bedside Organizer Caddy for Remotes Phone Glasses (Grey)Dorm rooms have barely enough space to contain a bed, a sofa, and a center table. In such cases, we often struggle with keeping things around the bed—how often do we misplace the AC remote, earphones, charging cables, and more?

RELATED:  21 Clever Ways to Organize Tupperware and Food Storage Containers

Moreover, if you’re lazy like me and hate getting out of bed, having this bedside organizer can change the game for you. It is so useful and hardly takes any space. It’s cost-effective and easy to hang too. It also has multiple pockets for storing multiple items, of course.

Buy it on Amazon.

11. Desktop Organizer Shelf

Jerry & Maggie - Desktop Organizer Office Storage Rack Adjustable Wood Display Shelf - Free Style Double H Display - True Natural Stand Shelf - Black

Your homework essentials and books are always scattered here and there because of the lack of space. Instead of buying various little shelves, get this desktop organizer shelf that can accommodate many books, chargers, and other utility items. 

If you have enough vertical space, you can buy a tall one with multiple levels for various organization and storage uses. You can also keep medicines on separate shelves here.

Buy it on Amazon.

12. Foldable Cube Organizer

This cube organizer can be folded when not in use, which makes the item portable and space-saving. You can purchase multiple of these and build a cubby system set. It will suddenly provide you with a lot of space in your little dorm room closet.

Its assembly is also pretty easy and the whole setup will go with your decor.

Buy it on Amazon.

13. Bedside Shelf

BedShelfie The Original Bedside Shelf for Bed and Bunk Bed Shelf 4 Colors / 4 Styles As Seen On Business Insider and Real Simple (Original Size, Bamboo in Light Grey)

If you can’t make do without a nightstand and love to have your morning coffee in bed, here is an excellent hack for you. Instead of messing the room by keeping stuff like glasses, coffee, and more on the floor or the nightstand, attach this exciting bedside shelf that looks good and is inexpensive too. 

You can choose from some very pleasing colors like pink, grey, and wood. The stand is strong enough to hold up to 15 pounds so you can even keep your stack of novels and books and doze off after a long day.

Buy it on Amazon.

14. Nordrana Baskets for Toiletries

Via Ikea

If you have a couple of roommates sharing the room and also have a shared bathroom, it will be hard to maintain proper hygiene. You should pay special attention to toiletries as infections can transfer using each other’s products.

So what do you do when you don’t have much space either? You can keep store stuff in these inexpensive Nordrana baskets. They are also pretty easy to move around.

15. Use Command Hooks

Via Iheartorganizing

You typically misplace your car or bike keys, ID cards, purses, and so on and end up searching for them only to be late for class.

To avoid all that, you just need to attach command hooks to the wall near your main door. Nothing will ever get lost as you can just put all your stuff there as soon as you enter. Your dorm room will also look well organized and clean.

RELATED:  53 Genius Garage Organization Ideas and Storage Tips

16. Use Stickers to Organize Classwork

Source unknown

It might seem like a joke, but stickers can help you organize the classwork, keep track of your deadlines, and completed assignments. It’s common for college students to forget deadlines and get too stressed because of not remembering to turn in work at the right time.

You can use different sets of stickers for your classwork, homework, and final projects—they will make everything seem more fun too!

17. Rolling Wire Underbed Cart

Whitmor Rolling White Wire Underbed Cart

You can use any kind of box or basket to store items under the bed. But to ensure that your stuff remains neat, clean, and well organized, you won’t find a better option than this rolling under-bed cart

All your stuff will remain clean and organized in it; it’s easy to pull out and the elevated design keeps it off the floor. You can use it to keep your clothes or your gym equipment, among other things.

Buy it on Amazon.

18. Room Divider

ClosetMaid 8983 Stackable 15-Unit Organizer, White

If the dorm room is shared and the space looks too small or cluttered, you can buy this tiered shelving unit from Target that doubles up as a room divider. Experts say that room dividers can make the room look more spacious and neat. 

Its height also adds a level of privacy that is hard to find in shared dorm rooms. 

Buy it on Amazon.

FAQs

What are the dorm room essentials I should take with me?

All the items we have listed above from desk organizers to clothing racks to rolling under bed carts are dorm room essentials that will make your life more comfortable.

Apart from those, you can check out this Off-to-College Checklist for a list of other essentials.

How can I decorate my dorm room walls?

Use wall art and posters to decorate your dorm room wall. Not only will these make the room look more pleasing, but also make it seem more spacious.

But don’t fill the entire wall with decor pieces, that will only make it cluttered. Use around 2-3 posters or paintings. You can even add string lights.

What items should I not bring to the dorm room?

Bulky luggage, out-of-season clothes, lots of clothes, shoes, gadgets, and kitchen appliances…the list can go on and on. Bring only the things you use daily—everything else will just take up space.

These were some of the most exciting ways to save dorm room space and make your room look neat, organized, and gorgeous. All it requires is thinking with an open mind and putting an effort in the right direction to make the best out of even the smallest of dorm rooms.

Written by bros

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