Quick & EasyDorm Organization Tips

C a n a n y o n e s p e l l c r a m p e d q u a r t e r s ?

H e l l o , i t ’ s D-O- -M -O-O-MHere’s how to

m a k e t h a t

l i t t le space

feel like home

only without

all the clutter.image by Ol l ie Cra foord i

f l i ck r.com/photos / lo l lap ing/

by Laura McHolm of NorthStar Moving

Make the Most of that Small SpacePick a couple of your favorite color s and stick

to them. Check in with your new roomie(s) to

see what they are planning so you can coordinate.

If you both love blue great, make sure you choose

blues or patterns that coordinate.

Maybe do matching bedspreads, pillows and/or

desk accessories. Send your roomie photos of

what you have in mind.

Dis for Decorate -

image by dennf l i ck r.com/photos /denn/

The more stuff you have stashed away the bigger your space will feel.

Clear storage boxes can be a life saver in a small space and some even come in cool colored tints.

Use those boxes for school supplies, files, clothes, phone chargers, electronics, etc.

Stick to clean lines. It will make your artwork or flower vase or Biology Book pop!

Some schools offer a bedding package or dorm package so you can do one stop shopping.

Even if you don’t opt for

the schools package, take

a l o o k a n d m a k e s u r e

you’ve got a l l the i tems

they include covered.

image by Va ler ie Evere t tf l i ck r.com/photos /va ler iebb/

O is for Organize –

Lay folded clothes (t-shirts, sweaters, etc.) inside your drawers or on the shelf on their side (not stacked on top of each other). You can purchase wooden planks or plastic planks to use as dividers. This way you can see all of your clothes at once when you open the drawer. Arrange them by color from light to dark.

Decide how many categories you want for your clothes. It’s up to you – tank tops together, long sleeved shirts together, and pants together and then hang them from light to dark or hang them based on occasion – dressier party outfit to casual class clothes. Ask yourself - how do I l ike to decide what to wear and then organize your closet accordingly. Having your clothes and accessories all in view and organized by categories will help you find items quickly and you will find that you get more wear out of more of your clothes! Not just that same red sweater over and over again. You’ll hear from your friends: Is that new? Well, newly organized!

Keep your laundry basket on the floor of your closet if there is room. This will leave more free space in your dorm room.

Your new Mantra: Everything in it’s place

and a place for everything.

image by peyr if l i ck r.com/photos /peyr i /

OTake a look at the ‘clutter’ around your dorm room – if things like papers and magazines have been piling up, decide if you really need them. If so, this might be a good time to pack them away. If not, recycle them.

Purchase bed raisers for under-the-bed storage. You can store everything from shoes, your laundry basket, books and any bulky items that might otherwise take up room.

Arrange your textbooks by size and stand them up on a shelf. That way they will take up less room on your desk.

People WILL notice the little things – put books and CDs in order and empty wastebaskets once they become too full.

OTake a look at the ‘clutter’ around your dorm room – if things like Take a look at the ‘clutter’ around your dorm room – if things like papers and magazines have been piling up, decide if you really need them. papers and magazines have been piling up, decide if you really need them. If so, this might be a good time to pack them away. If not, recycle them.If so, this might be a good time to pack them away. If not, recycle them.

Purchase bed raisers for under-the-bed storage. You can store everything from shoes, your laundry basket, books and any bulky everything from shoes, your laundry basket, books and any bulky

Arrange your textbooks by size and stand them up on a shelf.

People WILL notice the little things – put books and CDs in order People WILL notice the little things – put books and CDs in order OO

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OOOOOOOO image by Va ler ie bever ly is l i kef l i ck r.com/photos /bever ly is l i ke /

is for Really?Ask yourself REALLY do I need this?

Even in the most organized space, if it is too cramped to get something out of a closet or a drawer is simply

unlivable, you end up just living in the same things over and over again because it’s too hard to get to the

new outfit anyway.

No time is “less is more” more true than when you are living in a dorm room. If you haven’t worn

it for a year, why are you taking it to school with you? If you can’t think of more than one

way to wear something why are you taking it with you? If those shoes really hurt your

feet are you really going to wear them? How many sweaters do you really need?

Get realistic about your clothes. If it’s one of those pieces of clothes that you try on but

always end up wearing something else, it has no place in your wardrobe. And if it

never makes it out of your closet, why put it in there to begin with?

Ski gear, really? If you want your kayak, skis and surfboard with you

what about looking into self storage space close to the

campus? Perhaps you and your roomie could share

a small storage space, store your sports equipment

and off season clothes there.

Mis for Make it feel l ike your Mansion

If you’ve kept it organized with a minimalistic theme, get one or two

(or if you have to three)WOW items that work well together and they

will really POP. Your room will feel

over the top. Get an outrageous

faux zebra rug or throw, a wild rose

covered pillow, a plexiglass lamp,

silly chandelier or amazing framed

poster. Whatever your taste, now

is the time to bring it home to the

dorm room.

image by Juan Va l ldeRutenf l i ck r.com/photos /va l lderdes ign/

is for Record – Take Digital Photos of how it al l turned out– so you can get i t back in shape in no t ime

Okay, it’s perfect! It screams YOU and YOU can easily put your finger tips on everything quickly. What next?

Record it! Get that digital camera out and snap away (don’t forget to take a photo of the inside of each and

every drawer, closet, shelf). It will be great to send a few photos to the folks back home. The entire set will

help if you ever need to file a renters insurance claim. Use those photos as a quick reminder on how to get

your place back looking great.

image by Andres Ruedaf l i ck r.com/photos /andresrueda/

image by la ih iu

f l i ck r.com/photos / la ih iu /

O is for Only i f necessary

This should be the test before you

take your debit card out of your wallet

to bring something new into your

dorm mansion: Purchase ONLY

the necessary.

Keep only the necessary and for

the rest see the O below! And if

it’s perfect but not for school,

send it back home to the parents!

O is for Organize your fel low dorm dwellers to be the ult imate Earth Dwellers!

Organize Domestic E-recycing events and charitable drives for used clothing. Get into Giving it AWAY! Just don’t toss those old clothes, batteries, cell phones, chargers, etc in the trash. Your mass clean out of dorm rooms can be the key to getting relief to Pakistan, Haiti, Darfur or the local community.

Recycle! Make sure you carefully choose y o u r r e c y c l i n g companies to make sure they practice Domestic Recycling and aren’t really part of the problem bydumping E-Waste in

third world countries. Added bonus: Great way to meet like minded Dorm dwellers: Is there romance in bloom over the piles of discarded clothes?

image by Ky le and Ke l ly Adamsf l i ck r.com/photos /ky leandke l ly /

M is for Maintain the Organization o r l e t t h e M a d n e s s b e g i n

Well, you just put some time, effort, thought and sweat equity into this new place called home. The term is about to begin, nothing will make the term go smoother than having a cozy organized retreat to settle back with your green tea and humanities book, so make yourself a vow: I p romise to se t f i f t een m inu tes as ide eve ry day to ma in ta in the o rgan iza t i on . You’ll love your new mini-mansion!

image by Ky le and lemonjennyf l i ck r.com/photos /pumpk in ju ice /

For more tips & to get this in text form visitwww.NorthStarMoving.com

For more tips & to get this in text form visitwww.NorthStarMoving.com

For more tips & to get this in text form visit

(800) ASK-PROS | (800) 275-7767

Quick & EasyDorm Organization Tips

by Laura McHolm of NorthStar Moving

DOT 1836576 | ICC MC 665757 | Cal T 182466

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