I've always been what I call an "organized mess." In other words, I'm messy but in a clean way. I may have things all over my desk like notebooks and scrunchies but my bed is (most of the time) made and I very rarely have things laying on the floor. In a dorm, it's a whole lot easier to be cleaner than it is at home because there's only so much you can fit in the tiny space. For all the lazy people and non-neat freaks, like me, I want to give you all my tips on how to easily have the perfect balance of clean and messy in your dorm. All of these tips are small habits but go a long way. As I previously stated, a dorm room is a small space so changing something so small does make a difference.
Never leave any clothes on the floor.
This is probably the one tip that will make you the cleanest. No matter how clean your room is, it will always look so much messier if there's even one article of clothing on the floor. I can have my messy moments but this is one of the few messy habits that I don't have. I have always made it my goal to never throw clothes on my floor. I have stuck to this. But don't think that because I don't have any clothes on my floor I actually hang up my clothes and put them back in my closet after I wear them because I don't. I put my clothes on top of my chair until the pile gets too high that the clothes start to fall over. That's when I'll put them in my closet. This does not make you look the cleanest but because it's all in one spot and it's not on the floor it makes your room appear cleaner.
Make your bed.
I'm sure your parents have probably yelled at you about this a million times but it makes such a difference. The bed is the largest thing in the room and takes up a majority of the space in your room, which means that it's probably the first thing a person notices when coming into your dorm. Even when my room was at its most cluttered, my mom didn't care; all she wanted was for me to make my bed. Also, if you make your bed every morning, it is the first productive thing you've done that day, leading you to want to be more productive throughout the day.
Close your closet door.
This one has always been a tough one for me. I don't understand why but I have always had this habit of leaving my closet door wide open for the whole world to see. But in reality, I do not need everyone to see how much clothes are in there, and how I need a lot more space for all the clothes I want to buy. After living with my roommate for several months already, I noticed that she always has her door closed. Then my eyes moved in the direction of my closet and I saw that the door was as open as it could be. I started feeling guilty about it. So much so, whenever I would walk into one of my friend's dorms, I would always make it a point to look at their closet doors to see if they were open or closed. I made it one of my habits to start closing the door and it has given my room more of a cleaner appearance.
Push in your desk chair.
I know this sounds so meticulous but think about the impact this one has. This is something we've all been taught in kindergarten. It's probably annoyed you every time your teacher would demand you pushed in your chair. Why push in the chair when another person is going to sit in it? It's similar to making your bed. When it's made, it looks clean and put together. Pushing in your chair has the same effect.
Make sure that your sink is not cluttered.
Having a sink inside the dorm totally weirds me out too. But it is smack dab in the middle of the room. It's one of the first things I see when I open my door, besides the bed. Having a clean sink area makes the room just a tad bit cleaner, and it shows you have good hygiene.
You never know when one of your or your roommate's friends will unexpectedly come into your room. You wouldn't want them thinking you are messy. Not only is this important but it makes your life easier when your living space is clean. It's the little things that make the biggest difference.
