It is officially that time of year again: Spring Cleaning. Even students who consider their room spotless should take the time to rearrange, de-clutter and organize their things. Here are a few areas to focus on when tidying up your study space and your life this spring:
Switch out last season clothes: When the weather gets nicer you’ll be able put those big bulky items away such as coats and sweaters and bring out “Florida weather clothing.” Students who live close to campus can bring these items home, and those who live farther have the option of shipping or storing.
For those of you who don’t want to ship or your clothes no longer fit, consider donating your clothes. You can ask any of your family members who have children who may fit in your old clothes, or if they know someone who needs clothes. If all else fails, Salvation Army or any thrift shop will be happy to take the clothes.
Organize and fold your clothes: Look for clothing that you may have shoved under your bed or between the corners of your furniture. Once you sort out what you will keep, organize your closet by putting similar items together and neatly folding jeans, shirts and other items. If you have a big closet, hang up some of your clothes so it will be easier for you to pick out an outfit when you are in a rush.
Old textbooks: Now let’s look for those ripped up old textbooks that you never looked at again after finishing your classes. If you have any old textbooks or paperbacks you no longer need, you should consider selling them to a friend or back to your bookstore. Many bookstores have a buyback program, which means they will buy your books back if they are in good condition. There are also websites that you can sell them on such as Chegg and Amazon.
Paper items: Look around your room for trash. Go through your dresser, desk, closet or under your bed and get rid of any unnecessary things. Try not to be the person that starts cleaning and starts playing around with long lost items. Throw out those papers from last semester, old tickets, letters or any other scraps you find lying around. Also, don’t forget to recycle.
Computer Files: Go through your desktop and documents and organize your files. Delete anything that you will not use such as old pictures or junk. Don’t forget to take the time to back up your material on a flash drive, CD, external hard-drive or online to online storage sites such as Skydrive or Dropbox.
Lastly, just clean your room: Vacuum because there is a good chance that your floor needs it. Especially if you are a person who loves to eat in your dorm. Try to move as much as you can and vacuum under your bed, in your closet and behind large furniture. Then once you are all finished with cleaning, liven up your room a little. Move around the furniture, and add some color or new pictures that you have taken over the semester will bring life to your room.
If you are the type of person who never gets much done because you get distracted too easily or just hate cleaning, invite some friends over. Make it fun. Chances are a friend or two will be willing to help you organize your room.
