10 Cleaning Hacks To Make Your Dorm Room Shine
As we all know, hacks make life simpler, and cleaning hacks are certainly no exception. You probably do not want to have to worry about cleaning your dorm room when you have so many other things in need of your attention. Here are some cleaning hacks to help you get your dorm room spick and span a little easier.
1. Use dryer sheets for more than your laundry.
Did you know that dryer sheets can actually be used for a lot more than just fluffing up your clothes? Try keeping your used dryer sheets for an easy way to shine up your mirror. They will remove both the dust and the spots without any liquid cleaners needed. You can also use them to clean your toilet, if you have a bathroom assigned to your room. From dust to water rings, those dryer sheets can whisk it all away. They are really just great at shining and dusting all sorts of things, so keep them handy for when your laptop needs wiped or whatever else you get the urge to spiff up.
2. Unclog air vents for less dust and fresher air.
Even though maintenance comes in and changes your air vents, if you have one in your room, it can still use some love. You will love how much less dust is in your room, plus your room will smell fresher if it was starting to smell a little stale. Use a vacuum, wet sponge, or dryer sheet to wipe the dust off of your vent. You do not need to tamper with it at all; wiping the side you can access alone will make such a difference. Some of these vents have probably not been cleaned in a while, so you may enjoy a lot less dust after cleaning them.
3. Clean your blinds with a sock.
Socks are great. They keep our feet warm in a fun way, and they have so many other uses their inventor likely never dreamed of. Your blinds hold a lot of dust and are a pain to clean, so if you have blinds, get an old sock or two and get ready to clean. Combine an equal amount of water and vinegar in a bowl and dip your sock in it. Wipe the blinds with this concoction and watch as the dust is completely removed. The dust may stain your sock, so make sure you use one you are not too attached to.
4. Clean your computer with vinegar.
So you may get this fantastic idea to clean your computer with rubbing alcohol, but DO NOT DO IT. This can actually damage your computer, as can acetone, so nail polish remover is a no go, too. For a sure way to safely and thoroughly clean the outside of your computer, use vinegar. Dip a sock or microfiber cloth in vinegar and water and start wiping. For those hard to reach places like between the keys of your keyboard, use cotton swabs dipped in vinegar to detail that computer baby.
5. Clean your microwave with vinegar and lemon.
If you have a microwave in your dorm room, you probably are amazed at how much gunk has accumulated in there out of nowhere. Never fear; cleaning hacks are here! Get a microwave safe bowl and fill it with equal amounts of water and vinegar. Add some lemon juice for a fresh smell at the end. Microwave this bowl of liquids for 5-10 minutes, then let cool for a couple minutes. Next, simply remove the bowl and wipe out the gunk. It will come right out, and your microwave will be shiny and fresh.
6. Remove water stains from wood with your hair dryer.
We’ve all been there. Everyone knows how frustrating it is to have set a cup on a wooden surface without giving it a second thought, only to see a water ring on the surface when you pick your cup up again. If this happens in your dorm room to the permanent furniture, it can mean extra charges for you. Do not let it get you down; just whip out your blow dryer! Blowing warm air on water stains will remove any excess water in the wood. Finish up the cleaning with a little olive oil to give the wood a nice shine and prevent it from showing signs of being too dry.
7. Remove nail polish with rubbing alcohol.
Inevitably, nail polish gets spilled, dripped, or wiped off onto things it shouldn’t be on. Nail polish remover can really harm a lot of things; it even eats through some stuff. So forget about that idea and just get some rubbing alcohol. Dab some on a sock or microfiber cloth and scrub that nail polish out and off of whatever it is invading. You may need to do a few minor touch ups, but that is nothing you cannot handle.
8. Remove excess carpet hairs with a squeegee.
If your dorm room is carpeted or if you just have a carpet in there, you can tell where you rub your socks to shock your roommate. That extra fuzzy spot can be gone with a quick and easy cleaning hack. Just use a window squeegee and drag it across the fuzzy carpet spots. If you are feeling up to it, squeegee your whole carpet to get it looking like new. What is better is this takes very little time. A squeegee may become your best friend before long!
9. Clean up broken glass with bread.
Of all the cleaning hacks, this one is definitely inventive. Broken glass, unfortunately, happens. Hopefully you do not have broken glass laying around your room, but who am I to judge? Whenever broken glass happens, buy a loaf of plain old white bread. Because it is so porous and malleable, a slice of bread will grab up all of that glass, saving your skin from pricks and slices. All you have to do is press a piece of bread over the broken glass, pick it up, and discard. Use as many pieces of bread as you need to ensure the glass is gone. I think we can all agree that thoroughness is appreciated in this situation.
10. Lint roll your lamp shades.
Lamp shades totally show dust and can be really difficult to clean. Well, all you need is something you probably already have to solve this problem: a lint roller. Lint rolling your lamp shades gets all of that pesky fine dust off of them and makes them look like they did the day you bought them. It only takes a few minutes to do, and it will make a huge difference in your dorm room. You use lights all the time, and you probably notice that lamp shade dust quite a bit.
