Spring has sprung and has brought some lovely things along with it: warmer weather, happier students and the hope of summer break. There is one thing, though, that spring brings that does not always have the best connotation: spring cleaning. “Cleaning” is a word that can bring up bad memories of health and safeties passed (or failed) and is honestly just a hard thing to do in college. Dorm rooms and temporary apartments are not the easiest places to know how to “spring clean.” However, a little effort can go a long way in these small rooms and make a student’s life so much easier come moving day at the end of the year.
- Clean out the closet: Dorm room closets can be small and easy places for clutter to accumulate. Make sure your winter clothes are all packed away and clean out any lost socks or mate-less shoes may be hidden behind your winter coats.
- Use trips home: When moving day comes, it can be overwhelming to see everything you have to try to pack into one vehicle. During the remainder of the semester if you happen to make a trip home or your parents come for a visit, consider taking or sending some unnecessary items home. Social club memorabilia, extra jackets, etc. can take up a lot of room and are not really needed the last several weeks of the semester.
- Clean out your fridge: Even in a mini fridge, it can be easy to throw leftovers from your Saturday night in Little Rock onto the top shelf and forget about them until a month later. See what has molded, expired or is almost gone and throw these items away. Move things around on the shelves and wipe out crumbs and spills with disinfectant wipes. This will save a lot of effort at the end of the year.
- Clean your oven/stove: This can be a dreaded task for those living in an apartment-style dorm, but taking a little time to do it now can make a big difference later. Spray the oven with oven cleaner before you go to sleep one evening and leave it over night. Whenever you have time the next day, wipe it out or scrub it with a dish scrubber. With coil stovetops, the drip pans have a tendency to acquire impossible stains. Consider buying a new set and replacing them before moving out. They are extremely cheap, and this can save you a lot of scrubbing time.
- Get rid of old papers and books: It is easy for the various novels students have to purchase and different random assignments to pile up in desk drawers and on shelves. Try selling the novels you will not use again to a used bookstore or online. Go through binders and folders to find graded papers and syllabi from old classes and throw them away.
