College Dorm Organization Ideas

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My daughter will be heading back for her second year of college later this month. This year is a bit different because she knows what to expect and she’s anxious to see her friends. I’m also finding the process to be a lot easier this time around, but I’m still not looking forward to moving day. We started shopping for a few items to get her ready for the new school year. She has a good bit from last year, but she still had several items on her list that we needed to purchase. Although I’m not a big fan of shopping in general, I absolutely love back-to-school shopping. Perhaps because it reminds me of my own childhood and the excitement a new school year brings.

This year, my daughter will be sharing a dorm room with two roommates so every bit of space is valuable and must be used wisely. Today I want to share college dorm organization ideas and items that will help your college student maximize their dorm room space.

College Dorm Organization Ideas

Decorative storage bins

If this will be your child’s first year living in a dorm, I suggest you load up on storage containers. We thought we had plenty of containers last year but found ourselves needing more than expected. For most items, a good ol’ plastic bin will suffice. But if it’s going to be out in the open, or underneath a raised bed (common in a dorm room), go with a decorative storage container. Not only will it offer storage, but can offer a pop of color and keep things looking neat.

Make it personal

Organizing doesn’t have to be all business and no play. Encourage your college student to add their own personal touch even when they’re choosing items that serve a function. I created some fun printables for my daughter that she can hang up in her dorm room.

I purchased a set of clipboards she can use for school papers or to add the printables for wall decor. The same concept can be used with a cork board. Your college student can use push pins to hang up their jewelry, notes or personal photos. You can download or print each printable seen in the photo by clicking here and here.

Accent pieces with dual purpose

For her dorm room, my daughter had a color scheme in mind which included gold accents. So when I saw these gold quotation mark bookends, I brought them home. Not only can she use them to organize her books, they also will serve as a fun accent piece. When shopping for a small space, try to purchase items that will serve more than one purpose.

Go small

I knew that my daughter needed a new printer, but I didn’t want to purchase something that would take up too much space. Luckily, I found the HP DeskJet 3722 All-in-One printer at my local Walmart. This printer is the world’s smallest all-in-one printer and it’s designed to fit virtually anywhere. It’s also very affordable and looks good which is a win-win for this momma. It comes in 3 fun new color choices only available at Walmart: Sporty Purple, Poppy Pink and Dragonfly Blue. If you’re wondering what the quality is like, the printables above were printed with the HP DeskJet 3722.

As you can see my daughter went with the Dragonfly Blue color and she’s already putting it to good use. She loves that the HP printer has mobile printing capability so she can print right from her smartphone. If you would like to see it in action, there are in-store demos taking place in select Walmart stores so make sure to check your local store for details.

Want to get into your own back-to-school organization groove? Hover over the photo to shop this one-of-a-kind printer! Also, check out HP on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.