Ten tips for keeping your student room clean and tidy

How to keep your room tidy
 
Your room is a place where you can relax away from the stress of lectures and seminars. It’s your escape from your flatmates if they’re bickering or partying, and the perfect space for plenty of Netflix marathons. But it’s also the place where you’ll be doing a lot of studying and reading. Basically, your room functions as your space to do everything - so it’s no wonder it can get messy at times!

Unless you’re an organised person who thrives on cleaning and decluttering, tidying your room can seem like a bit of a chore. We’re not going to pretend that it’s fun, but there are some ways to make it more bearable. 

1.    Play music

Pop on your favourite playlist, or make one especially for cleaning with some upbeat tunes on it. Even if it’s only twenty minutes, stick it on and get cleaning - you’re not allowed to stop until the music does. More often than not, you’ll find yourself in the groove, quite happy to keep tidying up after the last song finishes.

2.    Reward yourself

Promise yourself a treat for after you’ve done the tidying up. Maybe it’s an episode of your favourite show, or a croissant with your much-needed coffee - whatever it takes to get you tidying. You’ll feel more motivated to get the job done because you know there’s a treat waiting for you at the end.

3.    Clean little and often

Doing the cleaning bit by bit will mean it doesn’t turn into a mammoth task. If you let your mess pile up throughout the week, by Sunday you’ll be faced with a huge amount of work to do. By tackling one task at a time, you’ll have more free time at the weekend to chill out and enjoy yourself.

4.    Make a schedule

If you really struggle to keep on top of tidying up, why not make a schedule? It doesn’t need to be hour-by-hour, but maybe Monday is your day for doing laundry, Tuesday is the day you put all your clothes away, Wednesday is when you give your shelves a dust down, and so on. By writing it in your diary or wall planner, you’ll soon develop a weekly cleaning habit that feels like second nature.

5.    Put everything away at night

If it seems too much to schedule different tasks every day, at least make sure that you put everything back where it belongs before you go to bed. Instead of throwing your clothes on the floor, take the time to put them in your laundry basket or hang anything clean back up. It’s a build-up of the little things that lead to a messy space, so take five minutes every night to fix them. You’ll feel so much better in the morning when you wake up to a less cluttered space.

6.    If it takes less than five minutes, do it now

On a similar note, if a task takes less than five minutes, why put it off? Watching TV and some adverts come on? Use that time to tidy up your desk. Waiting for the kettle to boil? Make your bed. Put those in-between times to good use and complete small tasks. Remember - little and often is the key to a tidy room that’s easy to maintain!

7.    Set a timer

If you clean little and often, it shouldn’t take you more than 20-30 minutes to tidy your room. A good trick is to set a timer for 20 minutes and simply focus on tidying up until the timer goes. Otherwise, you could end up losing hours to scrolling through TikTok with the guilt of not cleaning hanging over you!

8.    Declutter

Go Marie Kondo on your space. It might sound daunting to do a big clear out, but student rooms aren’t exactly spacious, so the less stuff you have, the tidier it will look. Make it fun by inviting some friends over and creating three piles - one for things you want to keep, one for items to sell on Depop, and one for bits and bobs to take to your local charity shop.

9.    Have a place for everything

It’s easier to keep your room tidy if everything has its own space. It’s the little things like hair bobbles and pens that can make an otherwise tidy room look messy, so head to Poundland to stock up on little boxes and jars to store them in. Then all you have to do is pick everything up off the floor and put it in its rightful place! 

10.    Personalise your room

Sometimes student rooms can feel a little sterile, especially if you’re living in halls. If you personalise your room and add your own little touches, you’ll be more inclined to keep it looking nice and tidy. String up some fairy lights or frame photos of your best friends. We guarantee you’ll want to keep your room tidy when you add some pieces you really love.
 
 

What’s next?

Ready for more tips on settling in? Here are five activities to help you meet people at uni, and how to make your accommodation feel like home.

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