Organization is key to maintaining a comfortable home environment, especially now that many people are working or studying from home.

A large part of organization is ensuring that every object in your home has a designated spot, so that the pile of “stuff” never gets too big. However, college apartments and dorms are often rather limited in terms of space, so here are some tips that will allow you to make the most of your available area.

Bedroom organization

With clothes organization, it’s often a good idea to use as much vertical space as possible. For example, a hanging shoe rack is a simple solution to the pile of shoes that easily accumulates on the floor in a closet with limited floor space. These shoe racks usually come with about eight to 10 slots for shoes and sometimes even have additional side storage for smaller accessories, such as belts.

When it comes to drawer organization, Marie Kondo’s method of folding is your best bet. This Housing Guide has another article dedicated entirely to Marie Kondo’s methodology, so take a look at that piece for further information.

And, don’t forget the possibilities of under-the-bed storage. Bed, Bath & Beyond sells deep drawers that are meant to go under a bed and hold a large volume of items without being in the way.

If you have a desk in your room that did not come with drawers, consider placing drawers under the desk on one side. Bed, Bath & Beyond also has a selection of more shallow, stackable drawers, which can capitalize on the under-desk space that likely goes unused. These drawers can be very helpful in terms of storing school supplies, important papers or even makeup and beauty supplies.

Kitchen organization

Oftentimes, kitchens fall victim to what one could call “the stacks”: the disorganized piles of dishes, Tupperware and miscellaneous silverware pieces that often develop in too-small cabinets. However, it’s possible to avoid this precariously balanced and disaster-waiting-to-happen stack of items.

Shelving racks are your best for increasing kitchen space. These tools essentially add another shelf in between shelves whose distance from one another would best be equipped by a separate layer to place objects on. They greatly expand your kitchen without requiring that you stack dozens of objects on one another to store them.

Additionally, kitchens in college apartments are often not equipped with pantries. Small racks or rolling carts are a great solution to a lack of dry food storage and work well placed against an empty wall. You can pick one up from stores such as Walmart or Target. Bar carts can serve as pantries as well.

Bathroom organization

If you’re strapped for bathroom space, an over-the-toilet shelf may be a great solution. These tools capitalize on the aforementioned vertical space that often goes to waste.

Small storage containers, such as baskets placed under the sink, can greatly benefit bathroom organization, too. The most irritating part of cleaning a bathroom is perhaps removing the endless bottles of lotion, hair tools and makeup tubs from shelves. Sectioning off your bathroom shelves with baskets is a simple way to better organize the space, while simultaneously speeding up cleaning day.

If your shower itself is low on storage space, consider purchasing a shower caddy that hangs over the shower faucet or on the wall with suction cups. If you’re really looking to elevate your shower storage game, one creative option is to place a tension rod across the length of the shower. Then, you can use hooks or rings to hang baskets and other objects from the rod, creating a long stretch of space available for storage.

Miscellaneous areas

When you’re pinching for storage space, don’t be afraid to get creative and take a new approach to the way something is intended to be used. For example, a towel rack serves as a great bookshelf if you don’t have too many books. Hanging plants and other decorations can be suspended from a window on a tension rod.

For papers and receipts, bulletin boards and small filing cabinets are extremely helpful. Both of these objects provide alternatives to the stack of papers that may unintentionally develop at the bottom of your desk drawers. 

If your space is so cluttered that you can’t concentrate, try out a few of these methods; you might just find that a clear physical space is associated with a more clear head space.