Many people live in dorms during their first year of college. It’s a great way to meet new friends and get involved on campus but sharing a small space can come along with challenges. It’s important that your dorm room feels like home for the time being and there are many inexpensive products available on Amazon that can make it easier to optimize storage and simplify dorm life.

A plastic shower caddy is one of the first things on the shopping list for college students but I found a cloth shower caddy bag to be the most convenient. It’s easy to carry, has a much larger storage capacity than the plastic ones and there are many inexpensive options. Rubber shower shoes and a bathrobe also simplify the communal shower process.

Power strips are much needed in dorm rooms as college students typically have a lot of electronics and there are only a few outlets available. 

Spare yourself an argument with your roommate about which chargers, appliances, electronics, products, fans or additional lights deserve to be plugged in over the other.

If having a clean living space helps you feel more at home, it would be a good idea to get a handheld vacuum. It can be frustrating when simple tasks turn out to be unnecessarily difficult and having a small handheld vacuum makes the cleaning process a breeze. Instead of lugging around a large, heavy vacuum that takes up space or dealing with a broom and dustpan, you can grab your easily storable handheld vacuum and clean up your roommate’s crumbs in a jiffy.

A hangable laundry bag is ideal for dorms versus a hard laundry hamper that takes up floor space. Not only does a mesh laundry bag save space and is easier to carry, but it also saves time and energy because the material is washable –– meaning you can toss the entire bag in the washer and dryer on laundry day.

Phone wallets are an extreme life saver when living in the dorms. Instead of taking your wallet out every time you have to find your keycard to get into your dorm, you can put the back of your phone up to the scanner and come right in. College students don’t go anywhere without their phones –– it’s a simple product that could end up saving you a lot of time over the course of the school year.

A water pitcher is a much cheaper and more eco-friendly option than buying plastic water bottles every week. It’s also a time saver –– instead of having to go in the hallway to get a drink from the fountain or fill up a water bottle multiple times a day, you can fill up a pitcher one time with tap water and enjoy the comforts of filtered water from your dorm. 

It can be a challenge to study or fall asleep when sharing a small space with someone else. A layer of white noise can be extremely beneficial for decreasing squabbles between roommates with conflicting schedules. It cuts down the unwanted noises that come along with life –– like shuffling, rustling, snoring and phone sounds. There are many free options that offer background sounds like the app Rain Rain Sleep Sounds. I prefer a plug-in fan because it allows the air to circulate better and after a few minutes you don’t even realize you hear it.

Follow Gianna Kelley on Twitter, @gianna_kelleyyy

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