Durham College Life: Here’s How to Keep your Dorm Room Neat and Organized in the Aftermath of COVID-19
2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, college students included. This spring, due to the COVID-19 crisis, virtually all college students had to pack up their stuff and leave campuses at a moment’s notice — a logistic nightmare for most.
Universities around the country are currently making plans for the fall semester. For some, online classes will continue, while others have the option of returning to school in late summer or early autumn. One of the country’s busiest college cities, Durham, North Carolina, will see at least a portion of its college students enrolled in the local universities returning by the end of the summer.
College students expected back in Durham in early fall
A portion of Duke University’s undergraduate students in Durham have the option of arriving back at campus as early as mid-August for a shortened semester that will conclude before Thanksgiving. The University decided to reduce the on-campus student population by 30 percent in order to create a safer environment.
This means that campus housing will be available only for first-year students, sophomores, and students that require accommodation due to academic or personal reasons. The rest will continue learning from home. “This change in plans is deeply disappointing for all of us,” said Duke’s University President Vincent E. Price. “At the same time, the challenges we face together are temporary, and we are working to ensure both that the Duke experience we are offering this fall lives up to our extraordinary potential and that the Duke of the years to come is an even stronger, more vibrant community,” he added.
North Carolina Central University is also preparing to welcome students safely back to its Durham campus at the end of August, for a semester that will end on November 24, 2020.
One thing is clear, though: this year, more than ever, it’s important to properly organize your dorm room and all your stuff. A neat, decluttered room will help you stick to the social distancing, health and hygiene rules. Also, should the situation require, you’ll be packed and ready to go in no time.
Here’s how to make sure your dorm room is up to the task during these unprecedented times:
1. Focus on categories
Go through your stuff and sort everything based on categories – books and office supplies, clothes, shoes, electronics, kitchen items. This way, you’ll be able to decide if you have packed too many of the same types of items and to leave a few unnecessary things behind.
Once you’re ready to unpack, you can designate areas for each category of items – a move that will allow you to stay organized and find anything you need quickly. For example, you can turn your nightstand into a media unit for your laptop, phone, tablet, and so on with the help of a charger station. That would save you a lot of space and also help you when you need to look for your chargers and an available power outlet.
An inexpensive and easy-to-install over-the-door shoe organizer helps you group all your footwear together, so you’ll always know where to find them. Also, in case you need to pack up your dorm room at short notice, you can simply fold the organizer with the shoes inside. Follow this organizational rule for all your belongings and you’ll end up with a streamlined, easy-to-clean dorm room.
2. Use baskets, boxes, and closet organizers
Invest in good quality containers for your dorm room. Under-bed storage bags or boxes will actually double the capacity of your closet, but just make sure you buy ones that are lidded, to avoid dust bunnies getting into your clothes.
Foldable boxes and drawer divider bins allow you to fit more stuff into your closet and drawers than you thought possible, and they’re also easy to put away while not in use. Finding a particular item in the closet becomes easier, and so does keeping your wardrobe in perfect order.
A few basic baskets around the room – behind the door, or next to the bed or the desk – are very helpful for containing the clutter. Whether it’s an extra blanket or pillow, your backpack, gym bag, umbrella and so on, the goal is to have your stuff away from your floors and chairs and neatly packed in containers.
3. Rent a self storage unit
Dorm rooms are small, and you probably have roommates, so, inevitably, there’s very little storage space available. You can compensate for that by renting a self storage unit in Durham, located close to your dorm. This way, you can enjoy a neat, clutter-free room while still having the things you need at arm’s reach. Moving in and out of the dorm room is also a lot more manageable if you rent a storage unit.
4. Invest in a good quality desk organizer set
It’s difficult to focus and get your schoolwork done when your desk is a mess of textbooks, notebooks, post-its, and pens. A sturdy desk organizer with multiple compartments, capable of holding all of your stuff, makes a world of difference. This way, you’ll be able to thoroughly and regularly wipe and disinfect your work surface, which is a must during these times.
5. Keep the cleaning supplies at hand
The experience of going to college doesn’t normally include a lot of dorm room cleaning, but it looks like, this year at least, students will have to be a little more diligent about it. One way to ease up the task of cleaning your dorm room is to put together a cleaning caddy with all that’s needed – paper towels, clothes, sponges, and cleaning and disinfecting sprays. Keep the caddy at hand and wipe all the surfaces in your room and bathroom regularly.
6. Get a heavy-duty laundry basket
Doing laundry is not fun, but unfortunately it must be done regularly, now more so than ever. A heavy-duty laundry basket that properly holds your dirty clothes and your detergent will make the chore more bearable. Make sure you get one with comfortable handles, that you can easily carry between your dorm room and the laundry room.
How to Move a TV: The Right Way to Pack, Transport and Store Any Television
TVs rank among the most stressful items to move. They’re large, awkward to carry and one wrong move can leave you with a cracked screen or dead pixels. Modern LED, OLED, and QLED panels are significantly more fragile than the heavy TVs of the past. Their screens are thin, their internal components are delicate, and they’re designed to sit still on a stand, not ride in the back of a moving truck.
How to Store Bedding the Right Way (Without Smells or Flattened Fills)
If you’ve ever pulled a comforter out of storage and immediately caught a whiff of something musty, you know how frustrating it can be. Good quality bedding can be quite expensive, so you definitely want to keep what you own in pristine conditions.
Where to Get Moving Boxes in NYC: Your Complete Guide
Moving across New York City comes with all sorts of logistical puzzles. You’re working around narrow staircases, building freight elevators with limited hours, alternate-side parking windows, and doormen who’d rather you weren’t blocking the lobby with a dolly. The last thing you want to be scrambling for on top of all that is moving boxes.
How to Keep Personal Belongings Organized When Living Together
You dreamed of the Friends apartment. Or maybe just a tidy place where you and your roommate had your own corners of the world. For couples, living together was supposed to feel like home. For multigenerational living, it was supposed to bring everyone closer. What nobody warns you about is that living together introduces a whole new layer of organization in shared spaces. Your stuff, their stuff and everyone’s habits are competing for the same square footage.
Where to Donate Furniture in San Francisco: 6 Organizations That Make It Easy
San Francisco has no shortage of places to donate furniture, which is good news in a place where moving trucks seem to be a permanent part of the streetscape. Anyone who’s ever watched three friends pivot a couch around the tight corner of a San Francisco Victorian knows moving day here can turn into a spectator sport. Apartments change, roommates come and go and sometimes the couch that fit in one place might not make the trip to the next.
How to Store Ties: Closet, Drawer and Travel Scenarios
The best way to keep your ties wrinkle-free is to just learn how to properly store them. You can start by knowing to never store ties knotted, in tight rolls, or exposed to direct sunlight or heat (which causes discoloration). But there are a few extra steps you can take to ensure your ties stay in top form. Let’s go through all the places and ways you can store your ties, and you may never have to worry about a crumpled necktie again in your life.
How to Store Belts (Without any Hassle)
If you want to make sure you’re storing your belts properly, we get it. A belt might be a small part of an outfit, but small details can make a big difference. Belts have been part of clothing for thousands of years — dating back to the Bronze Age — and while their purpose has evolved, they remain both functional and personal. If you have a favorite leather belt, an expensive piece, or simply a few belts you want to keep looking their best, it’s worth knowing how to store them properly. The right method can help prevent creases, cracks, scratches and unnecessary wear.
Where to Donate Books in Chicago
As much as we don’t like giving up books, sometimes we just have to in order to create the mental and bookshelf space for new literary adventures. But we all want to make sure our books aren’t wasted and get a second life. Chicago has a generous network of organizations that will put your books back into the hands of readers who’ll treasure them. Here’s where to donate books in Chicago, based on our research.
How Snowbirds Handle Traveling South: Car Shipping and Storage at Your Winter Home
Every fall, millions of Americans are confronted with the same logistical puzzle: pack up one home, land in another, and somehow keep both places functional for months at a time. If you’re a snowbird, you know the challenge isn’t just the packing. It’s also figuring out what travels with you, what you leave behind, and what to do about the car.