As far as cleaning goes, college dorm rooms really aren't that hard to keep clean. After all, they're only a single room, as opposed to a whole apartment or house. However, the small size presents a challenge in itself, as keeping things stored away neatly can be difficult.
Basically, there's only two things students need to know about cleaning a dorm room: (1) food and other messes need to be cleaned up, and (2) stuff needs to be put away. Doing otherwise is a serious breach of college roommate dorm room etiquette (unless both roommates are total slobs, of course).
Here are the basics that students need to know about keeping their rooms clean.
Dorm Room Cleaning Supplies
To clean up food and other messes, students should have on hand a small stash of dorm room cleaning supplies. First, students need materials for cleaning the floors. For wood or tile floors, a Swiffer mop is a terrific tool for quick, effective cleaning. A compact broom and dust pan is also a must-have. For carpeted floors, a small room vac will probably do. Check to see if the dorm has a community vacuum that can be used periodically.
Here's a checklist of other dorm cleaning essentials to have around:
- Dustrags or microfiber dust clothes
- Paper towels
- Dish soap (there's nothing more gross than dirty dishes after a few days!)
- An all-purpose cleaner (like Fantastik)
- Window cleaner (good for mirrors too)
- Lysol, air fresheners, or baking soda
- A trash can
- Laundry soap
Keeping a College Dorm Room Neat
Aside from keeping the ants away by cleaning up after messes, the real trick to cleaning a dorm room is to keep things neat and organized, even though there are two people sharing a tiny space. This can be a challenge even for the neatest of people.
One helpful trick is to invest in some useful college dorm room storage solutions. Consider garment bags or containers that fill fit under a dorm room bed, or organize the closet with shoe racks and other handy organizers. For books and assorted knick-knacks, milk crates (the old college standby) are a great stackable solution. Here are some useful ideas for college dorm room storage solutions.
An important step to keeping dorm rooms neat is to keep up with the dirty laundry. Piles of stinky laundry are a surefire way to annoy a roommate. Be sure to keep laundry soap, quarters, a laundry basket or duffel bag, and any desired laundry products (like fabric softener or stain remover) on hand. Here are some college dorm room laundry etiquette tips.
College can be a stressful time. Having a comfortable and clean room to come to can make a difference, so be sure to take the time to take care of messes and clutter.
Naomi Rockler-Gladen - Instructional designer and freelance writer, Naomi Rockler-Gladen writes some of Suite101's most read work.
