Today’s post builds on last week’s post, which focused on easing the transition to “dorm dwelling”. A universal truth about dorm dwelling is that you will be living in much tighter quarters than you are accustomed to at home, AND you will likely be required to share your tight quarters with one or more roommates. For these reasons, you’ll need to focus your efforts on maximizing dorm room storage space in your small little corner of the campus.
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
Luckily, there’s some uber-awesome organizing and storage tools out there to assist you in taking advantage of every square foot of real estate within your dorm space. These tools work like magic to help you find storage space you didn’t realize you had in unexpected places, such as:
IN THE DESK “ZONE”
1. Rolling Drawer Cart: One area that you may not have considered when hunting for additional storage space is the area under your desk. Use a rolling drawer cart to store everything from office supplies, electronics, to food. Simply roll it out and slide it over temporarily when you are seated at your desk. Sterilite 3-Drawer Wide White Cart
2. Desk Bookshelf: An add-on desk hutch (specifically sized for a dorm desk) takes advantage of vertical space above your desk, without the need to fasten something to the wall (which is typically prohibited). It provides a place to house your text books, notebooks, etc. without sacrificing work space on your desk surface. The College Cube Desk Bookshelf
3. Desk Chair Storage Pocket: When space is at a premium, you need to “think vertical” and store items in creative ways. For example, using a chair storage pocket takes advantage of the “dead space” on the back of your desk chair, which can be used to store small items such as notebooks, pens/pencils, and electronic devices. Aussie Pouch Chair Pocket
ON THE BACK OF DOORS
4. Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer: The backs of doors are the most overlooked area for finding hidden storage space. One of my favorite general organizing tools is the over-the-door shoe organizer. It can be used to store just about anything…food, jewelry, accessories, electronics, and yes, even shoes. Be sure to opt for one that has clear pouches, since visibility is key. 24 Pocket Blue Shoe Organizer
5. Over-the-Door Towel Holder: Dorm dwellers need to store their wet towels in their dorm room. What better place to stow them out of the way than on the back of your door! 4-Swing Rack Towel Holder
IN THE CLOSET
6. Double Hang Rod: New dorm dwellers will likely be shocked to discover how tiny their dorm room closet is. Take heed! There are a number of ways to maximize space in the closet. If you hang the majority of your clothes, you will definitely want to take advantage of a double hang rod. It does precisely what its name implies…it literally doubles the size of your hang space. Closet Doubler
7. Slimline Hangers: Slimline or “huggable” hangers are a must in your dorm room closet. Their ultra-slim profile will enable you to maximize the number of garments you can hang in that tiny closet. Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers
IN THE BED ZONE
8. Bed Risers: My #1 piece of advice for maximizing dorm room storage space is to raise your bed off the floor so that you can utilize the space underneath it. The best case scenario would be to loft the bed high enough to create usable living space underneath it. If this is not an option, utilize bed risers to raise the bed high enough to accommodate under-the-bed storage containers. Bed Risers
9. Bedside Storage Caddy: You will likely need to go without a nightstand as a dorm dweller. The bedside storage caddy is your new place for housing those “nightstand” items, such as glasses, books, reading light, tissue, etc. Bedside Storage Caddy
ON THE WALLS
10. Wall Organizer: Although you may be tempted to use your walls strictly for displaying decor, be sure to earmark some of the wall space for vertical wall-mounted storage solutions, such as a wall organizer. These can do wonders for keeping desktop paper piles at bay! Smead Cascading Vertical Wall Organizer
11. Adhesive Hooks: An irony of dorm dwelling is that you’ve never needed to use wall space more, BUT you are typically not allowed to use any type of permanent fastener to hang items on the walls. That’s where adhesive hooks come to the rescue! Be sure to pack a bucketful of adhesive hooks in a variety of sizes. You will be shocked at all of the items you can hang on your walls and doors, as well as inside the walls of your closet (robes, jackets, belts, hats, keys, purses, totes, etc.) using hooks. Command Hook
Got a must-have dorm storage product that you would add to the list? Share it with all of us by leaving a comment!
Ready to get epically organized?
Get access to 100+ printable pages to help you organize your home and life!
Great ideas, Natalie! I have a rolling cart in my small office with 10 drawers that fits snugly right by my desk. Perfect for students too!
Awesome Olive!
These are some great tips even if you don’t live in a dorm. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Thanks for stopping by Donna! Yep, the tools can be used to maximize storage in any small space. The dorm room is an extreme example 🙂
I lived in residence for my last year of university, and I have to say my room was fabulous. Above the desk were several large wall-mounted shelves with enough space for all my books, food, and other stuff. This should be a standard feature in all student housing!
That’s awesome Janet! I must say that your situation is unusual though 🙂
Great ideas, Natalie. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.
Thanks for hosting Sherry!
Great tips. I like the desk hutch idea. I’ve also seen the free-standing shelving units that go around the bed. The use of vertical space in the dorm room is so important. Thanks for sharing.
Ooh, I’ll have to check out those free-standing shelving units Sabrina!
Hey Natalie! I thought you did a superb job on this post for dorm organization. I myself run a website that focuses on organization and time management, and a couple of the items you mentioned are actually on my site as well! Again I thought this was awesome and I would love to use this on a future resource page I’m working on. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Thanks for the feedback! Would love to be included on your resource page 😉