My eldest niece, Samantha, heads off to college in a few short weeks.  Well, they are long weeks for her & short weeks for my sister & brother-in-law.  She’ll be heading off to the family alma matter, Mizzou (University of Missouri), to study journalism.  Having graduated from Baylor – I’m the black sheep – I have no knowledge of the good or bad dorms at Mizzou.  But I’m pretty sure she didn’t get the A#1 dorm on campus at least not by storage option standards.  This dorm room has NO storage!

Where is she going to store all her stuff?!

That has become the million dollar question in the family.  And if you have or know someone heading off to college, that’s your question too. The Container Store, Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Homegoods, Tuesday Morning, Ikea etc all have great items to purchase for the dorm room – cute, creative, wonderful things.  Some are even on sale right now.  But how do you use them?  What if those options still don’t give you a solution?  Where are you going to put all of that stuff?

1.  Shoes         They are always in the way so try using the bottom dresser drawer.  Shoes can be thrown in & are off the floor.  If you want neater, use tension drawer dividers to create shoe type sections.  They go where you want in the drawer.  You can create a flip flop section, dressy section , etc.  If you are lucky & have a closet door, my niece does not, use the over-the-door-shoe organizer.  Everyday shoes worn all the time can slip under hanging clothes on closet floor.

2.  Jewelry        First, don’t take the good stuff.  Second, use a bulletin board to hang most pieces on the wall.  If you’re handy, you could make a framed peg board.  UseCommand Hooks Picture Hanger Strips for hanging boards up to 8 lbs.  Remember to leave some weight for the jewelry.  If you cannot hang a board, simply create a “board” on the wall using different sizes of Command Hooks.  Store small jewelry – rings, earring, in a jewelry box in a drawer.

3.  Clothes        Hang as much as possible.  If you only have 1 rod, add the Dublet Adjustable Clothing Rod & double your hanging space.  You will still have space for longer items.  The Dublet is 19.5″ wide & most dorm closets are 24″ wide minimum.

4.  Bed               Use under bed storage containers for rarely used or seasonal items.

5.  Furniture      Footstools or tufts should have storage available inside.

6.  Make-up        Double the desk as a vanity using a desk drawer for makeup.

7.  Mud Room    Metal Finish Command Hooks on the back of the door or behind the door creates a “Mud Room”.

8.  Small Items   Magnetic wall pockets create storage on any magnetic surface & off counter/desk tops.

9.  Food              A 4 Tier Slim Cart next to a desk or refrigerator adds storage in seemingly skinny spaces.

10.  Folded         Hanging shelves creates a place to store folded sweaters, sweatshirts/pants, ball caps, handbags & scarves

It’s a crazy, exciting time moving to college.  Adjusting to the reduced amount of space is almost as hard as missing home.  Be creative with the space you have.  Think outside the tiny box you’ve been given.  What creative ways can you find to make a dorm room a home?

I’m here to help you by disclosing my knowledge of how to organize & be prepared for any situation.  I will show you tips & tricks through posts on the Styled & Organized Living Facebook page, @StyledOrganized on Twitter & the Styled & Organized Living Pinterest page.  Some posts will be simple tools while others will be ideas to consider.   But all will show you how to gain a little more control over your life through organization because Life is Better Organized!