Keeping your dorm room clean and organized has many benefits that cannot be disregarded. For instance, it gives you a much more productive learning environment and it provides you with a much better quality of rest. Finally, you never know when you’ll have someone over, which is why you want to keep the place tidy at all times. Unfortunately, college students seldom have money for extensive cleaning projects. And, the last thing you want is to disturb your roommate while they are trying to be productive or enjoying a social visit. This being said, here are seven tips that may help keep your dorm room clean and organized.

1. Prepare all your supplies ahead of time

When it comes to cleaning a dorm room, this is a task that can be done in under an hour. In fact, the most time here goes on dragging all the supplies back to the room, which is probably something you should do ahead of time. Here, all you need are some paper towels, dryer sheets, and some basic commercial cleaners.

2. Make your own cleaners

For those who oppose the use of commercial cleaners, the best course of action would be to start making some of your own. This can be done with some basic household supplies like baking soda, bleach, vinegar, and lime. The best thing about this is that it is not only safer but also much a cheaper alternative to using commercial cleaners.

3. Talk to your roommate

Another thing you should keep in mind is the fact that this is a joint living space, which means that A) there’s no reason for you to do all the work and B) you need to coordinate your cleaning efforts. This being said, you could either agree on the days on which you clean or compromise on the distribution of these chores. Either way works, however, the key to successful cohabitation in any circumstances is a proper communication.

4. Throw away the trash regularly

When living in a college dorm, you are much more likely to be eating in bed than if you were at home. What this means is that your garbage disposal will also be out of the way, which might urge you to simply leave food leftovers all over the place. This will not only pollute your living space and cause a despicable odor but also draw in the pests. In order to avoid this, try to throw your trash away as often as possible

5. Create a pest free environment

Even though keeping your place tidy may reduce the chance of pests ever appearing, once they appear, they are there to stay. In other words, if you do allow them to spawn, either due to your own negligence or someone else’s, you might need more than just an extensive cleaning effort to get them out. Sure, you might feel inclined to go with toxic pest repellents, but keep in mind that this would pollute your living space as well. Therefore, it might be for the best to consult niche veterans like those behind Pestworks and ask for some tips and pointers. You should also be in contact with your resident advisor they can contact the approaching people on campus to help.

6. Make your bed as soon as you get up

As for the overall impression that your room makes on its visitors, sometimes it all comes down to whether your bed is fixed or not. Seeing how this takes only a few minutes of your time, you could do it even before heading to the bathroom to brush your teeth. Still, how you integrate this into your daily schedule is completely up to you.

7. Be mindful when you are vacuuming

Simply put, there is no easier way to get unpopular at the dorm than to start vacuuming on 8 a.m. the morning after the dorm party. Due to the fact that vacuuming a dorm room is a two-minute job, you can’t use the excuse that you absolutely have to do it right away. Schedule your vacuuming accordingly and you should have no problem with this whatsoever.

In conclusion

As you can see, keeping your dorm room clean and well organized isn’t that much of a hassle. Still, this is an ongoing process and if you adopt the right organizational habits, the less time you will have to spend cleaning later on. On top of it all, there is no reason why these neatness habits should interfere with your wild student lifestyle in any way.

Hannah Thomas is a gardening and home décor enthusiast. Garden is the place where she feels most comfortable, that’s why there are always a lot of books and empty coffee cups on the back porch.  Always learning, exploring and smiling.