If this is your first year in college, congrats. You are likely excited about meeting new people and living on your own. But, before you pack your entire room to go with you, you should know that your dorm room is nowhere near the size you are expecting.

Some students are able to see their dorm before they move in, but if you are like many other students, you won’t actually see the room until the day you move in. Below, we will go over some dorm room storage hacks to help you easily store all of your belongings.

1. Vertical Wall Space Is Your Friend

You will have an open wall or two on your side of the dorm room and you want to make sure that you use it. Vertical shelves and storage options will provide you with the most bang for your bucks. For example, the inside of your closet door may be bare, therefore, hang a shoe rack or use a peg board and attach some shelves to it. Once you have done this, you then have created additional space for your items.

When you take a look in your closet, what do you see? Most people see some form of clutter and disorganization, but it does not have to be this way. Below, we will go over some ways to help you quickly organize your closet.

1. Get Shelving

One of the easiest ways to organize your closet is to utilize shelving on the walls inside of the closet. You can place items on the shelves and even attach a rod underneath the shelving to allow you to hang up clothing items.

2. Baskets

You should invest in some baskets to place on the shelves. These baskets will allow you to store some of your smaller items and keep them in a safe place. You can quickly label the baskets, so you always know where the items you need are.

Your children will need to develop organizational skills at one point or another in their life or else they will always have a home that is cluttered and messy. Why not start teaching them today? When you clean up your home or even your children’s rooms, it is important to include them in the process to start teaching them about cleanliness and organization. Below, we will go over some ways that you can help your child build strong organizational skills.

1. Use Checklists

One of the easiest ways to help your children organize is to create a checklist for them to refer to. This checklist can involve chores they need to do or items they need to go through. As your child completes one of the tasks on the list, he or she can then check off the item on the list and move to the next one.

2. Use Organizational Tools

Another great way to help your child buildup their organizational skills is to provide them with the tools they need. By this, we mean providing them with bins, closet organizers, or other items that will help encourage them to sort, declutter, and store items properly.

From eyeshadow to brush and body sprays, oh my! You probably have a lot of beauty accessories and makeup products in your home and guess what? That drawer is just not big enough for them all. And, if it is, your items are not properly organized and you have to dig through piles of items just to get to the stuff. Below, we will go over some ways that you can efficient store your beauty supplies with items that you likely already have around your home.

1. Use a Glass or Cups

If you have a mug, cup, or glass that you no longer use, you can utilize it to organize and hold all of your makeup brushes. Simply place the cup on your bathroom counter and place the handle of the brush into the cup. You will be able to see which brushes you have and access them quickly when you need them.

2. Spice Rack

If you have a lot of hairsprays or body sprays that you use on a regular basis and you are tired of reaching underneath the sink to find them, place a spice rack on top of your bathroom counter. You can place the sprays into the spice rack and keep them organized. The best part about using a spice rack is that each level sits higher than the next, so you can always see your item no matter which shelf they are on.

If you have an organizational project to do around your home, it is a good idea to include your children in the project. Children who have the opportunity to work on organizational projects with you can strengthen their skills while learning a lot of positive skills to use in the future. Below, we will go over some reasons why you should be including your children. And, after all, it is never a bad thing when you have an extra pair of hands or two to help.

1. They Will Learn to Appreciate a Clean Space

Who wants to live in a dirty space? Not I said the fly. Your child may like to keep his or her room a pigsty, but if you include them in routine organizational projects, they will quickly learn to love a clean space. After all, a clean space means you can play with all of your toys and find the toys that you want.

2. They Learn How to Clean

Cleaning is more than just simply putting items into a pile in the corner of the room and when you include your children in your projects, you can help teach them how to clean properly. While you do not want your child to handle any chemicals, you can help show them how to properly put items back on a shelf and how to collect all of the pieces to a toy and keep them together.