A Clean Dorm Makes For Happy Dorm Dwellers

I know it may seem obvious, but I cannot stress how important it is to keep your dorm room clean. Because they’re only scrubbed down once a year, they are a breeding ground for bugs and bacteria. Last year, FOUR girls were moved out of their freshman dormitory into my hallway due to bedbug infestations. And there is NOTHING as awful as a bedbug infestation.

 By keeping your room clean, you can save yourself a lot of trouble (ant infestations, strep, dust allergies….)

·         Always keep anti-bacterial wipes at hand. Wipe down your desk, your bed frame, anything that gets touched a lot and probably isn’t often clean.

·         Open your windows when you can. Letting in a little fresh air will make your room feel fresher and circulate all that still, stale, dorm room air.

·         Be sure to have disinfectant spray at hand, like Lysol. Spray down your trash can after you empty it and your whole room every once in a while.

·         Get a duster (the Swiffer ones are the best). Dust the top of your furniture and hard to reach corners. Your sinuses will thank you.

·         Throw food away! We (Marissa and I) made the mistake last year of leaving a few cupcakes uncovered overnight. The result? An army of ants. We were infested for about a month, despite endless visits from pest control. Keep everything covered and wash used dishes. Trust me, as much as you hate washing the dishes, you’ll hate an ant-covered floor even more.

·         Clean out the fridge. Food gets old fast, especially when you forget about the sandwiches mom sent you home with two weeks ago. Throw the old stuff out every once in a while, to avoid having to scrub down your whole fridge.

·         We have this lovely air freshener from Bath & Body works called the ScentBug. It’s small, compact, and you can put in any fragrance you want. It’s a great investment. It’ll make your dorm smell less like, well, a dorm.

·         Vaccuum! Whenever you can. It’ll make a huge difference. Because shoes are often left on in a dorm room, tons of dirt gets into your carpet. Ick. Take advantage of your floor vacuum.

·         Febreeze is a college dorm essential. Your carpet absorbs every odor in the air, which is why dorms tend to smell kind of horrible. Although it doesn’t last forever, use a fabric refresher. It’ll make your room plenty more enjoyable to be in.

Cleaning may not seem like the most fun thing to do on the weekend, but Marissa and I dedicate our Sundays to “room cleaning.” We don’t have time during the week, and the room gets kind of gross by Sunday. It’s kind of nice to spend the day in with my roommate, listening to music and cleaning. We feel a lot better when we’re done and this routine keeps the room from getting unlivable. Hopefully you can use my tips and do the same thing with your roommate!