From tiny closets to rude roommates, dormitory living can have its pitfalls. But students can get a handle on some dorm room dilemmas even before setting foot on campus this fall.
These great tips will help make the dorm room or off-campus apartment experience more comfortable:
Avoid purchasing items the school provides or prohibits. Find your school’s do’s and don’ts at www.bedbathandbeyond.com/shopforcollege, by selecting “Find My College.”
Use free tools like a checklist or registry to coordinate with future roommates on styles, colors and who will be bringing what items for community use.
Opt for retailers that have college students in mind this time and offer special services. For example, Bed Bath & Beyond’s “Shop Here, Pick up There” lets students shop for dorm room essentials at a store near home and pick up everything at a store near campus. Use their college checklist and in-store experts to stay organized and within budget.
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“Using smart resources for college-bound students can make a potentially challenging living situation more comfortable,” said Jessica Joyce, a spokesperson for the retailer.
Create space under the bed, over the door and in the closet. Bed risers, storage cubes and rolling drawer carts are simple ways to cram all that stuff in small spaces. Double hanging rods and ultra slim hangers with accessory bars, like Real Simple’s Slimline Hangers, can maximize closets.
Use a shower caddy to easily transport toiletries down the hall. Remember, this isn’t a private spa, bring a bathrobe and flip flops for trips to the shower. Girls should bring essential hair-styling tools. Guys should bring their own shavers.
Night owls and morning larks alike will find a friend in ear plugs and sleep masks to shut out light and sound from roommates.
Upgrade a drab room and the school-issued bed by layering on a stylish comforter set and add support to a standard 6-inch mattress with a memory foam topper or featherbed.
Mattresses are reused year in and year out. Guard the mattress against the scary past with a lab-tested bed bug and odor fighting tool like the Allergy Luxe Bed Bug Mattress Protector.
Outlets are limited in most dorm rooms, so consider streamlining with multipurpose gadgets. The iHome Clock Radio, for example, lets you listen to iPods, iPhones, or the radio, set an alarm for class, or charge devices.
Multiply outlet access with an adjustable surge protector that reaches around furniture and corners, such as the Quirky Pivot Power Surge Protector.
