Here are some college cleaning dorm must haves, cleaning essentials for your dorm. I thought this would be perfect for January, now a lot of us are doing our post-Christmas clean! With all the dorm cleaning supplies you need, this post is all about college dorm or apartment cleaning tips!
1. A bed with lots of room underneath – is wonderful for storage and also makes cleaning so much easier, as the smaller the gap between bed and floor, the easier it becomes a magnet for dust and debris as it is difficult to clean.
It also gives you extra room to keep your cleaning products and essentials, amongst lots of other things! You could use adjustable bed risers to get more room to put more things and allow you to better clean underneath or opt for a bunk bed set up just like these cabin beds from Cuckooland. These are so great as they keep the air circulating underneath – the aim is to keep the air circulating freely around the room to prevent any damp and mould from taking place.
2. A cleaning schedule – you can find brilliant printable sheets or even invest in a chalk board or memo board, so all the cleaning tasks are kept organized. This is one of the best college dorm must haves, it is so useful, especially if you share facilities and need to share out tasks with others, perfect keeping your bedroom clean and you will always know where you are in your schedule!
3. Drawer dividers – these are so wonderful for keeping everything clean, tidy and dirt and dust free in your drawers and they save you lots of space too, meaning you’ll be able to fit more items in!
4. Rolling drawers and furniture – mean you can move them easily to clean under and around them.
5. Handy drain hair catcher – this is so useful, you pop it in your drain to catch any hairs so they don’t clog up the drain later and create a smell.
6. An extended duster – or duster attatchment pole will allow you to get in to all those awkward places that are difficult to reach and be able to keep everything clean more easily.
7. Cable organizers – amazing college dorm must haves to free up space and stop cables tangling and gathering dirt and dust on the floor. You could even opt for cable fixtures or safely tape your cables to the wall, to keep them from tangling and off the floor.
8. Multisurface cleaner and reusable cleaning cloths
9. Stain remover – perfect to have on hand for those pasta or wine spillage emergencies.
10. Space saving hangers – mean your clothes won’t be able to trap dust and dirt and the inside of your wardrobe or closet will be cleaner!
11. Opt for mini spice racks to arrange items on display – they are much easier to dust and clean as the items are held in place while you dust them, you don’t have to take each item off individually and clean them. You can clean the whole thing in one go, which saves a lot of time. They are the perfect way to store and display perfumes, trinkets, models, collectables and toys that are educational (funko pops count right??)
12. Mattress pad or mattress topper – increases the longevity of your mattress and prevents it from wearing over time and absorbing body oils and secretions like sweat overnight. Cleaning a mattress thoroughly is a difficult process so this will help you so much over time.
13. Baking soda – it cleans and deodorises and is so easy to use! You can use it to clean and freshen up carpets and mattresses, just sprinkle lots on the floor, mattress or area of your choosing, then leave it for an hour or so, then vaccuum up everywhere, voila, lovely and fresh!
14. Biodegradable or flushable wipes – perfect for cleaning and wiping down dirty and dusty surfaces super fast, plus are more environmentally friendly than regular wipes as they are compostable.
15. A fresh scented diffuser – pop it in the background and your room will always smell sweet and fresh!
16. Wardrobe dehumidifiers – college dorm must haves, these are incredible, especially in a damp or humid environment. Old buildings especially can get damp and are prone to mould, these will really help to absorb moisture in a small space, perfect for your dorm room. You can even pop them under your bed or out of sight while they do their job, leave them under they are full of water and then empty them.
17. A shoe organiser for the back of your dorm room door – means no more dirty shoes making mess on the floor.
18. A rough and sturdy welcome mat – for residents and visitors to wipe their feet on first before entering, getting rid of muck and mud that might otherwise end up in your dorm room!
19. Underbed storage units – these will revolutionise your under the bed space! Storage is an important element when it comes to keeping your room clean, keeping things safely stored in boxes under your bed means they won’t be trapping dust and dirt around your space and you can easily slide the boxes out from under the bed to clean under there.
20. Washing up liquid and a multi story dish drying rack – for the dishes! When thinking about storage, go vertical for a small space!
21. Drain unblocker solution – will come in handy so many times and is a brilliant essential to keep close by.
22. A small or mini vaccuum cleaner – owning one of these will help you so much and even make you the most popular person in your dorms, as everyone will be asking to borrow it! This is great for cleaning the area outside your dorm too and bringing your own small one means you know it will work well and not take up too much room either, they are easy to store away.
23. Clever vaccuum fittings – to get in to tiny nooks and crannies and awkward areas, that can be difficult to clean in a small room or living space.
24. Disinfectant spray – perfect for when there are yearly bugs and flu about and you want to keep them away! Use this to spray down surfaces and items that might have been touched, like the light switches, remotes, door knobs on a regular basis.
25. Plunger, scrubber and toilet bowl cleaner – to keep everything fresh and clean in your bathroom! A great tip is to clean the toilet just before you get in the shower – this way you never forget to do it and you can get all clean and have a good wash after doing it!
26. A brush and pan set – if you have an uncarpeted floor, this is an amazing essential to have!
27. A wall hosted toothbrush holder – or shower caddy you can keep your toothbrush and toothpaste in. Keeping them in a cup holder means the cup will get dirty and gross really fast, a perfect place for dirt and dust and bacteria to gather especially as it is holding damp utensils in a warm and moist environment – they are also awkward to keep clean all the time!
28. You can get Febreeze bin bags! Or scented bin liners that really work to mask the smell of anything you pop in your bin or trashcan!
I hope you liked these dorm maintenance essentials! There are so many things to think of when you’re trying to figure out what to buy for college. Check out my list of college essentials here, everything you need to take with you!
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