College is filled with just as many good experiences as there are bad. If you’re just showing up to the University, some of you might have a difficult time trying to find that right balance of a thriving social life and academic career. Above that, self-care sets these aspects of life in motion; however, the self-care people don’t really pay attention to is how we treat our own rooms. Dorm rooms can give a powerful insight into how a person is doing emotionally and physically. The general rule, with some exceptions, is that a messy room equals a messy life. Here are some tips to treating your room with the respect it deserves to potentially improve the quality of your life.

Be a minimalist

Only take things to school that you really need or add value to your life. For example, it’s probably not the best idea to bring a drum-kit that you stopped playing consistently years ago. However, maybe bring drumsticks and find a band or practice room on campus.

Something everyone is guilty of is bringing more clothes than they actually need. Unless you’re the type of person to have a completely different outfit for each day, go through your closet at home and critically think about how much you wear or love an article of clothing, and consider whether you would wear it on a daily basis or did you buy it, wear it once and it’s now sitting in the back of the closet? If the answer was the latter, you likely shouldn’t bring it.

Develop a good relationship with roommates

Most of you will be sharing a space with someone for an entire school year, whether that person is your best friend or a complete stranger. This is probably daunting considering all of the horror stories you’ve heard over the years. Though bad roommate situations are inevitable, try to lay out some ground rules and comfortability beforehand. If any tension arises after that, alleviate it with an open dialogue so it won’t happen again. If you’re uncomfortable with something, speak up! You don’t have to be best friends with them, but the ability to coexist with them really helps stress you out less. You own half of that space and have a right to be there. Counting down the days until summer break because of bad communication doesn’t help and you’ll be miserable in the end.

Clean your room regularly

This should be a given! Not only does it stop a build-up of clutter (and possible insect infestations), but it gives you a clean space to unwind, meditate and sleep after a long day. Just because you’re away from your family back home doesn’t mean you can completely trash the place. However, you don’t “have” to make your bed each morning either as getting to class on time can be a struggle. “Regularly” is subjective and should be determined through your own discretion (whether you’re super clean or a total slob). The most important thing to remember is that roommates will definitely notice if there are any crumbs or, in extreme cases, nail clippings on the floor. Invest in a broom, dustpan and Clorox wipes.

Clean your refrigerator

Throughout the year, tasks for school will pile on in droves. This ultimately draws attention from the things we take for granted every day and don’t expect to be a problem in the long run. This is fine until that peach you’ve been saving for three weeks in the fridge turns into a moldy, rotten mess with a massive cavity in the middle. For the sake of health, safety and common courtesy, remember to clean out your fridge. Also, don’t buy more of the things that are just going to sit in there without being eaten. Not one wants to open a refrigerator door to the sight and smell of something that could’ve been taken care of weeks ago.

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