1. Clean Out Your Fridge

It's annoying when your roommate forgets to toss her leftovers after they've been in the fridge for a few days, but it's even worse to come back from a long break to a place that reeks.

A day or two before you leave for winter break, clean out your fridge. Get your roommate to help while she's still in town so everyone takes care of their own food. You'll prevent things from rotting away while you're gone and keep your dorm room smelling fresh and clean.

2. Organize Your Room

Even if you're not the type of person to care about cleaning regularly, it's not welcoming to come back to a dirty dorm. Organize everything as you prepare to leave, like straightening the textbooks on your shelves.

When you start your spring semester in a clean room, you'll feel the difference. Studies show that organized rooms help students manage depression and sleep better than when their place was cluttered.

3. Bring Your Bike Inside

Even though you keep your bike locked up on the rack outside your building every day, it's smart to bring it inside during extended school breaks. You never know who might walk by and decide they want your ride for themselves.

Every year, people steal 1.5 million bikes across the country. It's an especially prevalent crime on college campuses, where people may want a bicycle but not have the money to buy one. Haul your wheels inside after your last fall semester class and keep it in your dorm while you're gone.

4. Spot Clean Your Floors

You might occasionally vacuum your carpet, but when was the last time you thought about spot cleaning? Those stains you try not to notice every day don't have to stick around. It's actually relatively inexpensive to rent cleaning equipment to make your room shine. You'll save yourself money at the end of your stay when you might receive fines for carpet stains.

5. Take Out the Garbage

Depending on your living situation, you might rotate weekly garbage responsibilities with your roommate. Make sure to remove all trash before you leave for winter break. Smelly garbage may attract cockroaches and other pests. It's much easier to take it out now than deal with roaches later.

6. Close Your Blinds

Everything you do before you leave for winter break is to keep your belongings safe while you're gone. If you're on the first floor of your building, one of those steps must be closing your blinds on your last day.

People who live around a college campus know when students leave for breaks. They may walk by buildings and peer into windows to see which places are worth breaking into. Prevent anyone from noticing your TV or computers by closing your blinds as you leave.

7. Turn Down Your Thermostat

Even though you won't open doors or windows while you're gone and make your heater work overtime during your break, you should still turn down your thermostat. When the outdoor temperatures dip during the night, your unit won't need to heat the place while you're gone.

8. Unplug Most Appliances

Many students forget to unplug their appliances before they leave for breaks, but it's a dangerous mistake. Devices will consume unneeded energy while you're gone and pose as a fire risk if they short circuit while no one's there.

Be careful not to unplug the wrong appliances, like your mini-fridge or freezer. Those will leak if they aren't temperature regulated, so think about what you have before you start unplugging.