By: Sierra Hall
With finals, Christmas break, and trips to family fast approaching here are a few things to consider before abandoning your dorm. Dorms are our home away from home. Coming back for Spring Semester will be much easier if you do these 5 things!
1. Do your laundry and purge all the clothes you do not need. – It’s easy to do laundry and toss it on a chair and not think twice. Sometimes it’s even easier to toss any of the laundry (dirty or clean) into a chair and not think about it. But you’ll be happier to return with fresh clothes. Along with cleaning, look through your clothes to see what you can take home that you will no longer need. Dorms can feel cluttered and removing unneeded clothes help can help your dorm feel cleaner. Strip your bed sheets and comforter and wash them. There is nothing better than a fresh bed. You can survey your closet and assess what you need to bring back to your dorm for the Spring Semester. You’ll thank yourself on the walks to your early morning classes when you have your best winter coat.
2. Clean out your refrigerator and your kitchen – Don’t forget the food in your fridge and all the perishable items within it. There is nothing worse than the smell of expired or rotten food that has been left behind. Along with cleaning out the refrigerator make sure to check your panty – check to see if any items are open or near their expiration date and throw them away. It isn’t a particularly fun task, but doing the dishes before leaving is for the best. Coming back to a sink full of dishes or a cup of coffee left on your desk will not be fun to return to, either. Save yourself the rancid smell of left-out food and time scrubbing the month-old dishes. You’ll be happy you did.
3. Take back any seasonal decorations from the fall – If you’re anything like me, decorating for different holidays throughout the semester was my favorite part of the dorm. It became a tradition with my roommates. The not-so-fun part was figuring out where I was going to store the random odds and ins that I collected during decoration shopping along with all the other things I needed to get back home. Save yourself the headache and take some of it home with you now. Moving at the end of the year while all the other students are can be stressful but that process can be eased if you take advantage of cleaning for winter break. Seasonal decorations can take up valuable space when leaving for the semester. It may not seem like a lot but a little goes a long way.
4. Electronics, plug-ins, and candles – I’m going to save the lecture on fire code safety because I’m sure you learned that from your Residence assistants. But it is important to turn off and unplug all your electronics over the break. Not only is it a safety hazard but it can also drain the batteries within your electrons. Along with electronics, make sure to unplug the fragrance plug-ins, wax melters and candles. These are among the most flammable objects and we would not want an accident to occur.
5. Speak with your RA – Last night but at least, talk to your Resident Assistants. Speak with them and thank them for their time spent ensuring that you always had what needed. I was guilty of locking myself out one too many times. Thank them for the events they hosted (especially the ones where they provided food) and for always providing help when it was needed. If you want to make their day, add a thank you note. Without them, dorms could be more chaotic than they already are.
Don’t forget that Winter Break is a time to reflect, celebrate your semester wins and assess the losses. Allow yourself the time to relax before preparing for your next semester! And if you did these five things, you’ll be happy that you did.