Moving in to a new place is always super exciting, especially when it's your first time moving away from home. Thinking about how all of your clothes will fit in the 3'x6' closet and set of drawers you're given on move in day? I've got you covered.
Throughout this post I will be referring to my dorm room I lived in during my sophomore year at the University of Cincinnati. I lived in Morgens Hall on the 12th floor in an 8-person suite with a living room and kitchen. The suite had 4 double rooms and 2 singles. I lucked out with a single room, however did this not mean I got any more storage space....
Most Universities provide a twin XL bed, a set of drawers and a wardrobe or small closet. That's it. They will typically ask at what height you would like your bed to be lofted at when you move in. I'd suggest the junior height so that your storage underneath your bed can be used to its full capacity. You will need it! After living in a dorm my freshman year, I figured out exactly what I should and shouldn't bring to college. Here's what I found:
Furniture
If you feel you need to buy a few small furniture pieces for your room, be sure to take these things into consideration. The weight (for #moving purposes), the size in comparison to the space, and how much #storage it actually allows for. Cube organizer shelves are very versatile and lightweight which is why many college students end up purchasing these.
"Bring a 6 or 9 cube organizer and a foldable cube ottoman for even more storage. A moving cart is also a must bring."
Even if you have a super sized dorm room that can fit more, no other large furniture items are even necessary. Only thing that would have been nice, but that is also very extra, is a comfy chair for friends to sit in when hanging out in your room. Filling a small space with too much furniture makes the room feel more cluttered so keep that in mind when buying something.
I've linked what I had and would recommend below:
Foldable cube ottomans These are great because they are lightweight and have the ability to fold for moving purposes. These can be moved around your room for wherever you see fit. Personally I used mine as a stool for my bed and kept all of my random costumes in here that I didn't need to access every day. The nice thing about the one I have linked is that it comes with two! Foldable Storage Cube Ottoman With Pockets Brown - Yorkshire Home : Target
9 Cube organizer Such a great purchase! I still have mine that I bought two years ago. Mine is getting a little rocky from moving it around so much, but just needs the screws tightened. This will stay with you throughout college even if you move to an apartment! 11" 9 Cube Organizer Shelf White - Room Essentials™ : Target
Movable Utility Cart This is also a must especially if you are using communal bathrooms!!!! I've used mine to keep my everyday beauty products on that clutter the bathroom otherwise. ( I shared with 2-3 other people) It's great storage for things like #makeup, #hairappliances and products/other items such as towels that you don't want to be used by others in your shared bath. 3 Tier Metal Utility Cart White - Made By Design™ : Target
#Target is a great college furniture shop in general and have smaller/larger options for the items above.
Clothing Storage
Now this is the tricky part. If you're thinking there no way this is going to fit all of my clothes when looking at your small box of a closet... well you're right. It most likely won't or it will be a tight fit. This is what I found worked for me:
My closet size slowly got bigger as I moved from the dorms, to an on campus apartment, to an off campus apartment. For the purpose of this post, I will be sharing my strategy for the "medium sized" closet I had and other storage pieces that I used.
In my closet-
Most dorm closets (if they're not a wardrobe) have a single clothes rack with space on top. I bought a #shoerack and a #hangingstoragerack with insert-able drawers (both are linked below) which was very useful. I would not suggest the hanging rack if you have a #wardrobe closet in your room. It will most likely not fit. This is what I stored in my closet:
Tops (hanging)
Casual/seasonal jackets (hanging)
Jeans (storage rack)
Sweatpants (storage rack)
Leggings (storage rack)
Jean shorts (storage rack when in season)
Underwear (storage rack drawers)
In my cubes-
I kept my smaller clothing items in these. I really only needed four cube bins for clothes, but you may need more depending on how many clothes you have. Here is where I kept:
Tank tops
Bras
Socks
Running/casual shorts
In my set of drawers-
This is a great place for all of your casual everyday clothes that don't need to be hung up.
T-shirts
Active/workout clothing
Pajamas
"Utilize under-bed storage to store off season clothes and heavy jackets that you don't wear on a regular basis".
Although not pictured above, I did end up purchasing a shoe rack. One thing about the #shoerack: Yes, these can be an annoying thing to bring. However, I move about every 4 months and this specific shoe rack is one of my favorite purchases. It is #flexible, easy to move and you can stack it however tall you need. I've used it as a tall shelf and as two small shelves. The heights of the shelves can be changed as well. Best part about this is that it can be completely broken down to fit into a small box. Definitely recommend!
$19.99 from amazon.
Clothing storage links:
#Ikea Hanging storage-https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/skubb-organizer-with-6-compartments-white-40300049/?
#Amazon Shoe Rack- Amazon.com: fiducial home 8 Tiers Shoe Rack 16-20 Pairs Sturdy Shoe Shelf : Home & Kitchen
#Target 9 Cube Organizer- https://www.target.com/p/9-cube-organizer-white-brightroom-
#Walmart Cream Cubes- https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Collapsible-Fabric-Cube-Storage-Bin
Bathroom Cart Storage
This can be organized however you see fit that would best suit lifestyle. Since I had no countertop space in my bathroom that I shared, I used this as my sort of "counter" I kept my everyday bathroom products on the top shelf. Hair products on the second shelf and towels on the bottom shelf. This cart is great too because It can be moved around and easily hidden under your bed if needed. This is my cart:
I may have gotten mine from Ikea for slightly cheaper, but they are $35.00 from target. #targetmovableutilitycart
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I always feel my best when I have an organized space to work/live in. If you, or someone you know, is going to college soon and needs ideas of what to get for dorm storage, send them this post! I love organizing and found these tricks to work best for me. I would NOT suggest bringing any heavy items like dressers and consoles. Living in a dorm is pretty temporary and getting heavy items into your space adds so much more work to what is already a lot of stuff to move. Good luck college students!! Hope you stay organized!
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