Categories: Dorm Life

Dorm Room Storage Ideas For Small Spaces

Dorm room storage ideas are hard to think of, especially if you’re living in a small space. But never fear, we can help! Want to keep your living space clutter-free and as spacious as possible? Here are our favorite dorm room storage ideas that will have you transforming your space in no time.

Utilize space under the bed

Dorm room twin XL beds typically come with adjustable frames that allow you to optimize the space beneath your bed. Purchase some latch storage bins or fabric organizers and stack them underneath – perfect for storing extra shoes, out-of-season clothes, books, or whatever else. You can also opt to use the space to store a skateboard or a pair of skis rather than leaving it leaning against a wall. Just don’t throw stuff under your bed haphazardly! That’s how you lose things and make a mess that you won’t want to clean up when you finally do get around to moving out.

Use mounted storage

Mounted storage is perfect for housing clothes, shoes, books, keys, and knickknacks! Head over to the nearest superstore, Bed Bath and Beyond, or Target and pick up all the mounted storage you can fit in your room. You can mount storage space on the walls, doors, ceilings, mirrors, and even showerheads. A staple of dorm room storage ideas is also mounting electronics. By lifting up televisions, soundbars, sound systems, or even racks for hardware like gaming consoles and cable boxes, you can really clear up space in your room.

Organize the clutter

Throwing your keys, wallet, and other burdens of the day on the table or the floor doesn’t seem like a big deal, at least in the beginning. But after a week or two of careless placement, the clutter really starts to pile up. Things get messy, misplaced, and just generally descend into chaos from this point. You need to organize, even if it seems like you don’t need to at the time. Buy a little bin for your daily pocket items. Have some kind of filing system in place for paperwork and mail that will inevitably accumulate as you go about your life can also be helpful! Buy latch storage bins for things you don’t need, versus using drawers, cabinets, and shelves for things you use more frequently.

Coat racks

It might not be the first thing people try when brainstorming dorm room storage ideas, but you’d be surprised at how fast coats and jackets can consume space then they’re thrown on the floor or strewn across furniture. Moving these bulky items can be annoying, especially when you start hosting company. You can get an inexpensive coat rack at any thrift store or superstore. Get one with lots of hooks and keep it away from the door, or else it will turn into an awkward doorstop real quick. And while we’re at it: store the coats you aren’t using! Puffy old winter coats take up a drastic amount of space in your room as well as room on the coatrack, so tuck them away when it isn’t cold!

Shower racks

Nowadays, we’re bombarded by hordes of different hygienic companies and their products. Shampoos, conditioners, body wash, face wash, ass wash, lotions, razors… it’s safe to say that toiletries can take a surprising amount of space. You might be lucky enough to get your own bathroom, or you might have to share it with a roommate, either way, toiletries can really start to pile up. Get a shower rack– something that hangs from the showerhead– to store your shampoo and other products. Alternatively, get a door rack for the bathroom. Or both. It’s your world. However, if you use a communal bathroom, opt for a shower caddy. They’re easy to access, easy to store, and easy to travel with.

Prioritize your goods

This one may not be easy for a lot of people, but if none of the previous dorm room storage ideas help you, it might be time to think about just lightening the load. If you have space at home or a storage unit, keep what you don’t need there. Maybe your book collection is getting out of hand, it might be time to pack some of your favorites away. Or maybe opt to keep the entertainment system at home and focus on schoolwork and hobbies. Or alternatively, decide you’re never going to get around to using that paint easel when you have all this damn Netflix to watch… and Hulu… and Prime Video… and Disney+… and Funimation… Regardless of the reason, if no matter what you do you can’t seem to make more space, you might want to consider hosting your own personal episode of Hoarders and get that stuff you don’t need somewhere out of the way. Besides, better now than when you have to clear it out with the rest of your stuff when you inevitably move on to better abodes.