Ideas to reduce dorm stuff/clutter?

Parents Forum
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<p>There are some good threads running on CC about getting stuff to school. In general, there seems to be a definite "less is more" advantage when the student lives far away and relies on air travel. So if in doubt, leave it home and buy as needed. </p>

<p>Due to storage constraints on campuses, I fear that the year end chore of storage may be the bigger challenge. </p>

<p>I'm starting this thread to gather and discuss ideas for efficiencies. For each idea there will be pros/cons, and they will net out differently for different students. But thought it would be interesting to hear input from other families. </p>

<p>I'll start... </p>

<p>** ALARM CLOCKS? ** - My first thought was that an alarm clock would be overkill since son's cellphone has alarm feature. But perhaps that would be a pain when charging. I'm interested to hear if other </p>

<p>** 2nd SET OF SHEETS?** - In general, it sounds like most students don't use a second set of sheets. It's easier to just put the first set back on the bed out of the dryer. (I did hear one case where a sick student was relieved to have spare sheets.)</p>

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<p>Just keep in mind that all supplies do not need to be in place on the day of arrival – a lot can be mailed out or purchased later. </p>

<p>When my d. went to college she just pulled the sheets & spread off her bed at home and took off with them. I was the one left with the task of finding a set of sheets to replace the stripped bed at home – which is why the teen-age-girl bed suddenly reverted to rainbow-colored, little-girl bed. ;)</p>

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<p>Well, my kids tend to become very sound sleepers after they have stayed up too many nights to study, and they learned to sleep through cell phone alarms. (Really.) So, a nasty sounding alarm clock might have its real advantages.</p>

<p>We went with the second set of sheets, too, just in case. </p>

<p>But, in general, it seems a good idea to think disposable and second-hand, or renting in the case of appliances such as dorm fridges and microwaves, if you cannot move things home and do not have access to cheap or free storage.</p>

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<p>My son has given this advice often…He says…put everything you think you need to take to college in ONE room in your house…the living room perhaps…and then…take only HALF of what is in that room with you. The reality is you will not use most of what you take anyway. Dorm storage is scarce and most of what students think they NEED they really don’t need and won’t use.</p>

<p>The first time we moved him to college, it was in our van. By the time he came home as a graduate, we only needed a car. He took less and less with him each year.</p>

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<p>We used two bottom sheets and one top. Making the bed with both bottom sheets, then taking the top one off and washing it with the top sheet leaving the second one on… Beds are often in corners, nooks, or raised up on risers. Getting that bottom sheet back on is not easy. It gets the student to at least have a clean sheet again halfway through the semester.</p>

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<p>I read my son the title of this thread. His response? “I like dorm clutter.” But in terms of buying two sheets, nope; I have boys. And alarm clocks? My son used his iPhone and found a really dreadful sound that gets him awake. Reminds me of Lurk on The Addams Family.</p>

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<p>Thanks! Good hints. I especially appreciated the feedback from thumper1-son. And teh double-bottom sheet trick is brillian, sunny. Still we may start with one and stuff 2nd one in box later if he wants it. </p>

<p>We are shopping for a Droid for my son and just stopped at Verizon. They do have a nice Droid docking station that turns the phone into a nice alarm clock while it charges. But it will be key to ensure there is a very loud sound. My son is gifted at many things, except sadly waking up in the morning. </p>

<p>** Lamp ** - Per the college thread posts, son will likely need a lamp in his room. I’ll consider diong it by delay purchase in Boston or shipment later of a garage sale one in the basement. For all I know his studying will be in the library anyway. </p>

<p>I’ll try to lean toward lean on all of our decisions.</p>

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<p>My D likes a “eurostyle” comforter cover/duvet. I bought 2 sets of sheets and sewed a comforter cover by hemming the 2 top sheets together for a light-weight down comforter in between. It has gone well for 3 years. 2 bottom sheets, multiple pillowcases, who knows how often it all got washed…</p>

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<p>I convinced S to bring a 2nd set of sheets, he was convinced he didn’t need them but eventually he decided it was nice to be able to change his sheets when they smelled even if he didn’t have time to do laundry right that minute. And he says he uses his alarm clock.</p>

<p>My suggestion to reduce clutter is to only bring clothes the student will actually wear - not the stuff Mom wants him/her to wear. Frosh year, my S had literally less than 1/3 of the stuff his roommate (an only child) showed up with. Roommate filled his walk-in closet, dresser, and an extra dresser mom sent with clothes, but according to S he wore the same 4 or 5 outfits over and over again. Roommate’s mom also brought a ridiculous amount of food: cases of bottled water and Gatorade, and drawers full of junk food. On move-in day, I couldn’t decide if I was proud of myself for raising such a low-maintenance son, or if I felt awful because I was a clearly inadequate mom to send my son to school with so little stuff compared to his roommate!</p>

<p>However, when D goes to college this fall it will be a different story… she has more clothes than anyone I know and she thinks she needs them all. She will be able to do laundry once a month or less and never run out of clothes. If she only brings half of her clothes, her room at home will still look full. (sigh)</p>

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<p>Here are some of my favorites that I have picked up on CC over the past year.</p>

<p>1- get the phone charging alarm clock (maybe even speaker combo)
2- over the door hooks for the end of the bunk/lofted bed. (great for hanging towels)
3- clip on lamp for bed
4- those plastic drawers from Target for use as a night stand. I picked up the one with 3 drawers and the drawers have holes in the front for ventilation.
5- fan
6- small air purifer machine for boys rooms
7- Purex all in one laundry sheets
8 -3M adhesive wall hooks. (some say these won’t work on cinder block walls)</p>

<p>S is going to school in Wisconsin so winter jackets will take up a lot of room. I keep looking at the internet pix of his dorm room and shaking my head. There is no way my clothes horse son will agree to cut back on what he brings.</p>

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<p>“…put everything you think you need to take to college in ONE room in your house…the living room perhaps…and then…take only HALF of what is in that room with you.” Just be sure that darling child puts away what is left over before he/she heads off for college.</p>

<p>I am the one who thinks DD needs so many things. She went back for summer school and is trying to minimalize her existence. Seems to help: one set of sheets, very few clothes, two pairs of shoes, maybe three (she runs), and very little else. It took us about seven loads to get her out of her room in April and two loads to get her in this summer including a fridge and microwave. She has not asked me to send her anything more.</p>

<p>And DD does have a separate alarm clock because she tends to lose her phone. ;-0</p>

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<p>My in-laws knew our daughter hits the snooze button at least 2 or three times on EACH of her 3 alarm clocks. Quite cleverly they bought her an alarm clock that when the alarm goes off, it “bounces” off the nightstand and then bounces all over the floor until you catch it and turn it off. (If you remember the “Bumble Ball” toys that were popular when they were younger, it’s kinda like that.) It was meant to be a joke, but I think it’s actually going to be effective of breaking her snooze-button habit that I’m certain will drive her roommate crazy. I only wish I could be there to watch her groggy body claid in cotton p.j.s scurry all over the room to catch her alarm clock and shut it off. :)</p>

<p>For students traveling far away who aren’t able to come home to change out seasonal clothes, those “Space Bags” work great. They really save space when storing bulky clothing until you need it.</p>

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<p>I think if you are trying to minimize, giving up the second set of sheets or the alarm clock is not the way to go. Clothes is where I think a lot of people go overboard-- I got into HUGE trouble because at spring break it was still snowing and I couldn’t send my winter clothes home, so I ended up with two full wardrobes-- I could go a whole month without laundry. I also brought way too many things for entertainment than I could use, like books, DVDs, CDs, etc. At one point I think I had accumulated as many as seven blankets because my heater broke and I never sent them home when it got fixed. I got two huge floor pillows thinking friends would want places to sit, but nobody ever wanted to use them. </p>

<p>My roommate brought at least 50 pairs of shoes. It was nuts but she had one of those hanging things with all the shelves and a bunch of crates that fit on the floor of her closet, so it worked. Clothes, bedding-- including a second set of sheets that she did use, her computer, a lounge chair, a lamp, an ipod dock, and a magazine rack are literally all she brought. The magazine rack was a waste of space.</p>

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<p>geek_son brought about half of his clothes home during Christmas break and left them here. He swears he’s only going to take about half of his dorm stuff back with him next fall… the best fix for dorm clutter in our case was him having to pack it all up at the end of the year. :)</p>

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<p>There is a long thread about things you don’t need to bring or things your kids brought and didn’t use - let me see if I can find it. There might be some helpful posts there. My D’s dorm room was so full as to almost be unbelievable :o I can offer no advice on this one.</p>

<p>Here’s that thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/525546-things-you-dont-need-pack-college-6.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/525546-things-you-dont-need-pack-college-6.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Don’t buy furniture and large items before you see the room. The stereotypical milk crates are useful, as are bed risers if the bed is not bunked or lofted already. When I had a lofted bed, I liked using a bed shelf (Bunk Buddy) to put my glasses/ glass of water/ alarm clock. </p>

<p>I would recommend a small alarm clock that you know the student can’t sleep through. Phones have a funny tendency of disappearing/ breaking at the most inconvenient times. </p>

<p>About clothes: laundry can be put off until there is no more clean underwear. So I would say yes lots of underwear, and go easy on the rest of clothing items. </p>

<p>For those heading off to cold climates, pack winter gear before you leave. When it starts to get cold ship the winter boxes (+ space bags if you’re really nice). Or one can store out of season clothing in the suitcases needed to travel home.</p>

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<p>I bought two sets of the bed risers because I was sure the roommate would want a set too. The beds were not lofted, but they could be raised or lowered using hooks on the bed frames. Those are sitting in my garage if anyone wants them!</p>

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<p>My kids like all the comforts of home…but hate to pack/unpack and don’t like clutter. I’ve found that “clutter” is relative to how organized (and monochromatic) it looks - D took an impressive amount of stuff with her last year like cooking stuff, dishes, lots of supplies, electronics, sports/hobby stuff, clothes for 3 seasons (it’s Buffalo, 'nuf said), even an airbed for overnight guests…almost all of it got used and was borrowed frequently by friends but we preplanned very carefully for the space so as not to encroach on her roomie. I second the idea to put it all in one room/small area and see how it looks.</p>

<p>Her room, a double, somehow never looked cluttered at all but we knew that the beds raised to 32", I took some quick measurements of wardrobe/desk/dresser at orientation, and literally everything she packed in did double duty as functional storage (and it took her very little time to unpack, which she appreciated as I did not stay to help beyond bed-making). Definitely find out about the bed lofting, desk size, # and size of drawers, closets, etc. If beds are lofted, look for something (Kohls/Target) with a cushion and lid to do triple duty as a foot stool, storage, and extra seating. Also good are the colllapsible, stacking crates (abt $20, BB&B) which can be used to build a taller nightstand for those loft beds or to build a tall tower which adds a lot of storage in a small footprint. The rolling 3-drawer carts and trunks with wheels are bulky but very handy as a printer fits on top and can easily be rolled out from under the bed when needed, saving both desk and floor space. She chose individual items that could do double duty as well - a “quillow” for extra pillow/blanket, desk lamp with holders for pens, etc, TV with built in DVD player, digital frame for pictures - things like that kept her life and stuff more organized, but didn’t leave her feeling deprived of what she was used to at home.</p>

<p>Transport for us was by small SUV due to the dimensions of the rolling cart and trunk (we bought locally to make sure everything would fit, but, at $10-25, they’re cheap enough to be tossed/donated at the end of the year) and the biggest space hogs were the clothes/comforter/pillows which was solved by using 4 XL space bags. (I took a very small shop-vac looking car vacuum to maximize space on the trip home as she didn’t have a vacuum with sufficient hose suction.) I don’t recommend a down comforter, even in cold climates, unless the dorm has a reputation for being chilly. The 3" thick mattress cover was a pain once it was out of the original packaging, and for $65, I was tempted to toss it on moving day, but she loved it and it ended up fitting nicely into the trunk with the airbed, once we sat on it to close! I think she’ll take less in the way of pictures/decorations next year and no iron/board but, if she has a real closet door, will probably add a pocket hanger to store her spare shampoo, etc in - maybe it can do double duty as air freshener :)</p>

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<p>We did a lot of shopping at Ikea. D found a really inexpensive alarm clock (the kind with the two bells on the top!) A table that packs flat for a nightstand, an inexpensive wire mesh trash can and a great desk lamp. I did send her with 2 sets of sheets and 2 bath sheets. Also over the door hook for the dorm door to hang coats umbrella etc. She also had 2 underbed storage boxes that she packed when we brought her and used for storage when she was there. My D also used Purex all in one laundry sheets all year, but found that many times they left fabris softener marks on her clothes.</p>

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<p>I suggest the following approach. Make sure your student visited campus and stayed in the dorm so he (or she) has a real feel for how much (or little) room there will be. Print a “potential stuff” list off CC. Check off the items that you are going to send in order to be able to live with yourself.</p>

<p>Give it to student. Tell him (I have a S) to add to it as he thinks appropriate and that then you two will discuss. Advise that he will be responsible (including financially) for storing the stuff between school years. Also advise that you only buy this stuff ONCE.</p>

<p>My S has found a place to store his stuff for the last 3 years. I took a load of his old bedroom furniture to him at the end of his sophmore year to use in his apartment. When he moved his stuff at the end of this year he did it without my help. He related that he had “down-sized.”</p>

<p>My experience is that this is another area where you explain the “rules,” then let them figure it out. My S related that there was a girl at college who showed up freshman year loaded with stuff who then proceeded to sell or swap most of it. She had lots of spending money that her parents weren’t aware of. She told her roommate that she had tried to rein in her parent (mom), but when it didn’t work she said she realized this was a potential money bonanza.</p>