13 storage solutions to help you make the most of your dorm room
Home storage and organization experts tell us how you can make the most out of the storage in your dorm room.
Non-slip hangers can be an excellent option for making sure your items don’t fall to the floor and create clutter. Meck suggests non-slip velvet hangers like these for a more secure grip on your clothes. These hangers are made with a soft velvet material that won’t crease your clothes when you fold them over, according to the brand and are flat so that you can have more hanging space in your closet.
Meck recommends using cascading or tiered hangers for pants, skirts and shorts, which can save closet and drawer space. This four-tier option can hang up to four skirts or pants using adjustable clips. The clips also have a non-slip coating in order to prevent unsecured clothes from falling to the floor.
This nine-compartment hanging organizer is “sturdy and a good value,” according to Kienzle. It has a hook and loop fastener that you can hang on a clothing rack or closet rod, allowing for additional storage for shoes, apparel or other dorm supplies. If you’re planning on hanging it inside your dorm closet, ensure that your closet rod is at least 4 feet up from the floor.
When living in a dorm, you probably don’t have a personal bathroom space to store your shower and bath supplies, so it’s good to have a tote that is easy to haul with you down the hall, Meck says. This shower caddy sports six pockets for smaller items like your toothbrush or hairbrush, along with a main compartment to store your shampoo, scrubs, shower shoes and more. It’s made with water-resistant fabric and a mesh bottom so that any water from the shower can drain easily, according to the brand.
A laundry basket can be essential for keeping dirty clothes off chairs, your bed and the floor. This one is collapsible, which makes it easy to transport your clothes from your dorm to a laundry room and then tuck it away in a closet or under your bed when you don’t need it. It has a 4.8-star average rating from 8,349 reviews on Amazon.
Kienzle recommends using a storage ottoman for both seating and storage because it takes up little floor space. In her college dorm Select associate reporter Bianca Alvarez used this ottoman as a place to store extra office supplies, clothes and shoes and as a step stool. “I set my bed to the highest setting so I knew I wouldn’t be able to get on or off easily so I used this ottoman as a step stool which helped save space and get me up and down without the look of a traditional stool stepper.”
Meck recommended these drawer organizers to divide up and organize any odds and ends. To save width space, these transparent organizers stack on top of one another — if you want to corral home office-related supplies you’ll reach for more regularly, you can even place these atop your desk. They can also easily store makeup and brushes, along with smaller bath supplies like your toothbrush or washcloth.
Kienzle also says that you should take advantage of the space under your bed with storage containers for seasonal items like clothes, duvets and comforters, shoes and extra bed sheets. To keep those items clean, each container has a plastic cover and durable woven polyester bottom that can keep its shape even while the container is empty, according to the brand. To pull them out from underneath your bed, you can use the handles on the sides. These containers have a 4.7-star average rating from 13,024 reviews on Amazon.
If you have a low bed but want to use the storage space underneath, these bed risers — which come in a set of four — can add 5.25 inches of additional height. They have a 300-pound capacity (every dorm will have different offerings, but a twin mattress for example, typically weighs 40 to 45 pounds). However, Hord says it’s important to ensure that your dorm bed doesn’t already come with built-in risers so you’re not wasting money. These risers have a 4.6-star average rating from 5,590 reviews on Amazon.
In a dorm, “a rolling cart can be an awesome, space-saving solution to separate cleaning supplies from kitchen supplies and snacks,” says Hord. She suggests putting cleaning supplies on the bottom shelf, kitchen supplies (like cups, plates and utensils) on the middle shelf and snacks on the top shelf for easy access. This cart has a mesh design in its baskets to provide ventilation for towels and wet clothes, and wheels to move it around your room easily. It has a 4.7-star average rating from 27,853 reviews on Amazon.
When reaching high storage places, Kienzle says it’s good to have a folding step stool on hand.
“Since dorm rooms are small, requiring students to go high up the walls with their storage, a folding step will help to access hard-to-reach areas. They take up no space when not in use and folded,” she says. This step stool has a 300-pound capacity with a maximum standing height of nine inches, according to the brand. It has a 4.7-star average rating from 55,032 reviews on Amazon.
When shopping for dorm storage products, here are a few tips our experts said that you should keep in mind.
At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Estee Yi and Mili Godio interviewed four professional organizers to determine the best ways to maximize your dorm room storage space and help make dorm-living clutter-free.
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