Taking Care of a Dorm Room

Living at home was luxurious and you probably didn’t even notice. You most likely didn’t give your mom nearly the credit she deserved.

Now that you’re in a dorm room, mom isn’t around to do the dirty work. Because of this, you’ve got to manage your own mess. Little things that you took for granted at home won’t magically clean themselves anymore. You need to take responsibility.

Here are three aspects of cleanliness that you won’t want to let slide in your dorm room.

1. Vacuum Regularly

For far too many college freshman, vacuuming can become one of those “have you ever?” questions instead of a “how often” one. It’s easy to avoid because there are no immediate consequences for not vacuuming, but the change from clean to dirty will occur even if you don’t notice it.

If you avoid vacuuming, bits of paper, plastic, leaves, etc., will inevitably begin to litter your floor. You might not notice because you live in your room, but friends who do keep their places clean will definitely know.

Vacuuming doesn’t take nearly as long as you might think and it’s one of those habits you’ll be glad you took up early. Borrow your dorm vacuum for 30 minutes at least once a month. It will go a long way towards making your room feel and look like a place you’d actually want to live.

2. Terror From the Trashcan

One of the first ways to ruin the feel of a nice dorm room is a trashcan full on old banana peels and apple rinds. It’s not because of any smell; these items tend to dry out before rotting enough to hit your nose. The problem with fruit in the trashcan is fruit flies.

At home, you probably never needed to worry about fruit flies. You or your parents took out the compost regularly and the little guys never had a chance to get comfortable. In college, however, it can be all too easy to forget to take out the trash. Old peels and rinds can stay put for days.

Be warned… Fruit flies can appear seemingly out of nowhere! One day they are non-existent and the next they’re all over. Their addition to your room is less than homey. Throw out your trash often, even if it doesn’t smell, to avoid these unwanted guests.

3. Mind the Bathroom

If your room has a private bathroom, you’ll want to wash your mats at least once every two weeks. With the amount of water that drips down, they never get a chance to fully dry and can be a haven for a mess of bugs you really don’t want to think about.

One problem with bathroom cleanliness when living with roommates is that nobody wants to do the dirty work involved in keeping the place respectable. It’s an unenjoyably job, and because the responsibility is shared it can be all too easy for everyone to collectively put it off.