Knowing dorm hacks is acknowledging how to make life easier!
Moving into a dorm from your comfy house is not always a good experience for everyone. But one can make the experience easier and make their dorm a “home away from home” with some tips and tricks from veteran Keene Owls on living in dorms.
Sophomore, Camila Sanz, an Owl’s Nest resident for two years, believes having a Britta filter in your room is a must-have as you do not have to walk back and forth to the water station. “In the mini-fridge, Brittas do not fit usually, buying ice cube trays is a lifesaver as I am a cold-water person,” said Sanz.
If you are a person who doesn’t fold your laundry right away, having an alternative hamper for clean laundry is never a bad idea. Sometimes people don’t remember laundry symbols all the time. Sanz shared, “You can save your clothes from getting ruined and your time on the other hand if you place a cheat sheet on your laundry bag.”
Cultural exchange student Khawla Manel, who lives in Pondside-3, had a very useful trick to replace iron and steamers. She said, “Downy Wrinkle Releaser Spray is a very convenient solution as it smoothes your clothes and wipes wrinkles in one go.”
One can place their clothes vertically if they want more space in their drawers. It will also make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Similarly, some dorm rooms having open closets can make the room look more organized by hanging up a curtain on your closet that you can easily open or close.
With the restriction of candles in a dorm room, Pondside-3 resident Jose Ojeda had an amazing tip to make the room smell nice. Ojeda said, “When you do not feel like spraying and buying air fresheners, use a dryer sheet, put it on a fan or air vent slightly and make your room smell so much better in an instant.”
Sometimes early morning classes make you miss your breakfast. A Living and Learning Commons resident, Jennisa Gurung, catches up with her breakfast with a quick microwave recipe. Gurung shared, “Break the eggs into a bowl, add some salt, microwave and cook it on high power for 30 seconds, take it out, beat the eggs very well, return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Repeat this pattern, stirring every 30 seconds for up to two or three minutes.”
Storing things underneath the bed is what every student does. “Using long bed skirts hides all your mess down there giving you a neater room”, said first-year Marissa Gibbs, an LLC resident. Digging through the cords on the ground to find the one is sometimes really baffling. Gibbs added, “To easily find and organize your cords, sticking your binder clips in the side of the table helps.”
Similarly, using a door stopper is also a fun dorm hack to help you socialize. You can keep your door open using it and it is easy for your hallway friends to wave at you when the door is open. Having fun card games also helps you to bond with new friends.
The homemade food is what every student misses the most in the dorm life. Gray Hardaker, a sophomore from Pondside I, was missing buffalo chicken dip and found spots throughout campus to snag the ingredients. While sharing her recipe, Grace explained, “You need cream cheese, shredded cheese, chicken, and hot sauce. You can get diced chicken from DC’s salad bar, from the grill station if you want to shred it yourself, either Sono or the NOC (when they’re serving sizzlers). The same goes for the cheese. Then, you just throw all the ingredients together in a Tupperware, shake it up, and there you go! I usually have my tortilla chips for dipping, but you can snag some from Lloyd’s too.”
