Spring is just around the corner so here are a few ways to clean up your dorm!
What to Clean in Your Dorm
Dorms are seemingly small spaces that could lead you to think, “I don’t need to clean anything”, however, that’s untrue. There are so many little things that fall through the cracks as college kids, messes included. Who can blame them when they are focused on their schoolwork? Here are three things you should think about cleaning this spring In your dorm.
1. Your Closet
For starters, I’m sure there are pieces of clothing in your wardrobe you haven’t touched since coming to school or haven’t worn since the first week. I recommend packing those up and maybe even donating them Marie Kondo style! I find myself forgetting to go through my shoes, so I recommend doing that as well. Do you really need the shoes from your sophomore year of high school? Not to sound like a minimalist but three to five pairs of shoes is all you need, especially as a college student. Nonetheless, if it brings you joy then keep them!
But if you aren’t ready to part with those clothes yet, feel free to pack them up and even take them home if you are close enough. This goes for the next space too, it’s refreshing to pack up unused items so you don’t have to worry about them in the future. Either way, it can be a nice thing to do, and you will be thanking yourself on move-out day.
Overall, as the semesters have passed, chances are you’ve gained a new style. Not only will cleaning out your wardrobe be good for your room but it will allow you to have more room for new clothes! Spring is all about new beginnings and there is no better time to find yourself.
2. Your Room
Next can be the actual dorm itself. Dorms are known for catching dust and letting it pile up in unknown places. Wait for that nice sunny Sunday when the breeze is blowing so you can open your window and really get to work. Move furniture that hasn’t been touched since moving in, wipe down surfaces, wash your bedding, etc. Do any normal dorm chores along with some of the more in-depth ones.
Also, if you have a college-issued trash bin, recycling bin, and/or compost bin, now is a great time to clean those out. You wouldn’t want to be doing it during finals week. Sometimes cleaning like this can be a pain but all you need is a good playlist or a motivating cleaning video. Check out this other Trill Mag article about the fun chore wheel one creator made to motivate them into doing chores.
Check out the TikTok below to see some “out of sight, out of mind” places that could use a good cleaning!
3. Your Phone
Finally, after all that hard work of cleaning and organizing your room, I’m sure you want to sit on your phone and decompress for a bit. But there is one more thing you should do, and it’s on your phone! As the semesters have passed and the school year is almost ending, I’m sure you have an influx of random screenshots and photos in your camera roll that you took thinking “I’ll need this later”, and then never used. Go ahead and delete those!
While you’re at it go through your emails as well. I’ve noticed there are three types of college students; the ones who read and keep every email, the ones who read and delete the ones they don’t need, and the ones who don’t read them at all. No matter which one you are, it’s a great time to go check and see which ones you don’t need hogging your inbox storage.
How Cleaning is Beneficial
While you may have hated cleaning when you were younger, it is now something that can benefit your mental health. In a Forbes article, cleaning is described as something that can release endorphins and can act like a pain killer. Cleaning is good for releasing stress, hence the term “stress cleaning”. Sometimes when your schoolwork is out of your control, it’s good to have something you can control, like cleaning your room.
Cleaning is one of those things that affect and is affected by our mental health. However, it is important to keep your space comfortable, which usually includes cleanliness. So, if it is just taking out the trash and making the bed or scrubbing all odds and ends of your room, try to take part in spring cleaning this year to benefit your mental health. You got this!
In Conclusion
College is stressful and cleaning can help. With spring rapidly approaching it’s time to reemerge from the winter slums and take back your life. Go through your clothes, clean your room and phone, and overall just try to clean up your life. Hopefully, this year’s spring cleaning can help you release some unwanted stress and feel productive!
If you’re interested in the mental side effects of cleaning check out this article.
Susan Heyerdahl
March 27, 2024 at 3:59 pm
Great article Ellie! So proud of you.