15 Dorm Storage Ideas To Maximize Your Space
Going to college means taking everything you’ve gathered up in the last 18 years and trying to move and store it in a space twice as big as you’re used to. It’s not easy. You’ve got clothes spilling out of that tiny closet and school supplies covering your desk space without anywhere to go. It’s hard and your space is limited, so you’ve got to do all you can to maximize what you’ve got and utilize every little bit. These 15 dorm storage ideas can help you figure how.
1. Wall Storage
Because dorm rooms are so small, you’ll be smart to make good use of the empty walls. Hang hats and jewelry or even use a simple hack like this one to hang extra baskets you’ll be grateful to have around once all your drawers quickly fill up. A great option for dorm storage ideas, use your wall space to your advantage!
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2. Lofting Your Bed
Lofting your bed is the smartest dorm room storage move you can make. It frees up so much extra space for drawers and compartments you desperately need, but wouldn’t be able to fit in your room if your bed was closer to the floor. Plus, if you loft your bed high enough, nearly any sort of storage container can fit underneath, allowing for tons of possibilities.
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3. Hanging Jewelry
Free up the top drawers of your desk or dresser by hanging your jewelry somewhere instead. Again, by doing this, you’re utilizing wall space that otherwise wouldn’t contribute to your storage needs. Plus, there are tons of cute ways to hang your jewelry that end up just making it look like another decoration, rather than the useful organizational space it really is.
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4. Hanging Closet Shelves
Dorm room closets are virtually non existent, so you really have to do what you can to make them count. Efficient closet use and organization helps with that a lot. These hanging closet shelves are a great answer, especially if you don’t have a good dresser. Rather than having to hang up clothes that don’t need it, the shelves offer a ton of drawer space, while only occupying a fraction of your closet.
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5. Multi-Use Cart
I purchased a cart like this one from Target early on in my college years and it has been extremely helpful in providing extra storage space in any living situation. I used it to hold my toiletries when I didn’t have drawers in my bathroom. My roommate and I used it as our bar cart when our kitchen was tiny. Now, since I don’t have a bookshelf, it holds my books and movies. And it looked cute doing each separate storage service. You can roll them anywhere and put whatever you want on the shelves.
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6. Hiding Away Hot Tools
I always struggle to find efficient and clean storage for my curling iron and straightener, especially in an already tight dorm room. Luckily these storage hacks totally do the trick. Instead of letting the messy cords wreck your neat desk space, use either notebook holders or command strip hangers like these options to easily hide away your hot hair tools.
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7. Foot Stool Storage
It’s cute. It looks like room decor. But in reality it’s holding a bunch of your stuff! What more could you ask for from dorm storage. Adding a foot stool to your dorm provides a cute place for guests to sit, bu also let’s you hide away whatever you want inside for an extra bonus.
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8. Over the Bed Bookshelf
When it comes to further creating extra shelf and drawer space in your limited dorm room, building a bookshelf over the end of your bed is a great help. You’ll have tons of extra storage space, plus places to put a lamp or your phone charger for easy access from your bed. It’s just another way to utilize space you wouldn’t otherwise have.
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9. Extra Shelving
You can also easily put up extra shelves, without having to build an entire bookshelf over your bed. It’s simple with a few strong command strips, and the shelf can go wherever is useful to you. This placement at the end of the bed is super handy for quick, accessible storage to hold your important and commonly used items.
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10. Drawer Organizers
Some drawers you’ve luckily already got on hand, but there are still helpful ways to maximize that space too. Just stuffing a drawer to the brim with your stuff is wasting a ton of space and making it impossible to find what you need. Instead purchase some cheap desk organizers and keep your space use efficient. One of the most helpful dorm storage ideas!
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11. Desk Hutch
Another way to style, organize, and create more storage space is by using a desk hutch in your dorm room. The shelves build up off of your desk space to offer extra places you can put pictures, pencils, boxes, binders, whatever, while still having plenty of desk space to do your school work.
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12. Shoe Storage
Efficient shoe storage is another difficult thing to figure out when you’re confined to a small dorm room space. There are so many and they take up so much space. Thankfully, there are lots of different possibilities for storing your shoes. Hangers are probably the best option because they’re skinny, so they can hang in your closet without taking up a ton of clothing space, but they still offer places for your entire shoe collection. A awesome option when it comes to dorm storage ideas!
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13. Stack your Fridge
Mini fridges are essential dorm room furniture, but they unfortunately take up a lot of space you could be using for extra storage. A great solution to this problem is this idea of putting your mini fridge on top of a few sturdy drawers. That way you’ve got your fridge in place, but you’re still able to use the space for storage too.
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14. Bathroom Tote
We’ve all got a messy drawer filled to brim with our vast array of bathroom products, which definitely isn’t helping anyone out with dorm room storage. These totes are perfect for every trip to the bathroom, especially if you’re having to share it with other girls. Keep everything you need neatly organized inside for constant quick use, and free up those drawers for other storage needs.
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15. Smart Folding
The same as with your desk drawers, you don’t want your dresser space to go to waste by filling it up with messy amounts of clothing that just get stuck and in the way every time you try to open one. Use smart storage ideas and folding within the drawers you’ve got to utilize the space even further. You can easily craft cardboard dividers to keep your clothes organized and your space use at its most efficient.
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