Dorm Room Storage!

Photo Credit: Radical Edward and a duffel bag
on Flickr, Creative Commons

Duffle bags are the ideal solution for storing out of season clothing, costumes and other non-breakable items that you rarely use. Duffle bags hold much more clothing than hard sided under bed storage. They also work well for storing extra linen and blankets. After putting your bed up on risers, just shove the duffle bag under the bed.

When I first got to college I saw all those strong, handsome college guys strolling across campus and thought how great it would be to have them hold up my bed so that I could shove things under it.

Photo Credit: Line art drawing of palanquin.
on WikiCommons

Well, that didn't happen, but look what I found instead:

As a freshman I discovered how necessary bed risers are. I wonder why college beds don't just come with them? Bed risers lift your bed just enough to provide space for storing duffle bags of winter cloths and boxes of extra shoes as well as all those things that you need but don't need very often.

Most items that you would like to store under your bed can be stored in a duffle bag but you don't want your shoes and winter boots smelling up your clean clothing. The solution is a hard-sided, under the bed box. I prefer this one as it has rollers and the top folds in half so that I only have to pull it out half way to open it.

Though dumping stuff behind the bed might seem like a good solution at the time, it actually makes it very hard to find your homework in the morning. A bedside caddy can be placed between your bed and the wall. When you are too sleepy to continue studying, just slip your papers and books into the bedside caddy where it will be safely kept until time for morning classes. There is even a separate pocket for storing your glasses.

Photo Credit: 1941 ... cold shower
on Flickr, Creative Commons

Did you realize that you will be sharing the bathroom with other students? There won't be room to store your shampoo and toothbrush there and if you did it would probably be lost before you returned.

How are you going to carry all the stuff you need to quickly get ready in the morning? How are you going to store these wet items when you return to your room?

Shower caddies are especially designed to hold all those items that you need in the bathroom taking into account that they will be wet when you return to your dorm room. Just hang your shower caddy on the door handle and it will be dry before you know it.

Photo Credit: Olivier, the Bagel Thief
on Flickr, Creative Commons

They say that college students need a safe is for securing laptops, money and passports. I wonder how much of a problem that could actually be in a dorm room? It is unlikely that your roommates would steal from you. It sounds like some people are getting just too paranoid in this world.

Bagels, on the other hand, are in much more serious danger of being stolen!

I suggest that you have a secure safe or bank vault such as the one below to assure that the bagels you had planned to eat when you returned from class are still there when you return.

You will be living with your roommate for an entire year. How will you store your things so that you and your roommate can live together comfortably?

This book will help you think about ways to get along with your roommate, how to negotiate your needs including storage issues and how to cooperate with fellow students. These are life skills that are not only necessary now but for the rest of your life.