Spring Cleaning Tips for College Students

Spring Cleaning Tips for College Students was originally published on Firsthand.

Being organized is crucial if you’re a college student. Between all your classes, studying, exams, extracurricular activities, a part-time job, and your social life, you’ve got a lot going on! A clean and tidy workspace is key for organized, productive thought, and can have a positive effect on your grades. Today, we’re going to go over some spring-cleaning tips to help you unclutter your living space, as well as your life. Let’s begin.

Organize Your Desk

Since the start of the school year, you might have noticed that the useable space on your desktop or work area has been gradually reduced through the accumulation of various papers, personal effects, or perhaps even snack wrappers. In addition to this, you might be experiencing storage issues if the desk drawers are approaching critical mass. If this is the case, it’s as good a time as any to go ahead and remedy this unfortunate situation.

First, separate important school items such as notes and textbooks from any personal effects or office supplies, then clean the surface of your desk. Decide which items you need to have available to you while you’re studying, and organize them however you see fit. For example, you could place all your pens, highlighters, and post-it notes in a drawer, while keeping items such as hand sanitizer and a notepad on the surface of your desk.

Next, spend some time going over your class notes and organize them in a way that best suits you. Here, you could organize your notes by class and date, or by the method in which you took your notes. For example, all paper notes could be placed together, while notes that were stored on your computer or device can be organized in folders.

Clear Out Old Textbooks

By now, you might have some old textbooks laying around and taking up space. If you’re not actively using such textbooks, now would be a good time to get rid of them, and there are a few different ways you could go about this. If you’re feeling particularly charitable, you could donate your old textbooks to a school or a library, or pass them along to a friend or family member that can use them.

If you’re strapped for cash, you can sell your old textbooks at a bookstore, or sell them online. In addition to online marketplaces such as Amazon, there are a number of websites that specialize in purchasing old textbooks, including AbeBooks, BooksRun, and BookByte, among many others.

Get Rid of Winter Clothes

Now that the weather is a bit warmer, you probably won’t need as many jackets or sweatshirts. A great way to make more space for yourself is getting rid of unused clothes, and like your old textbooks, there are a few ways to go about it. For starters, you could get yourself some nice shipping materials and send them back home to your parents, where the clothes can be stored until next year.

If you’ve got a free weekend coming up, plan a trip back home and bring your clothes with you. Your parents will be happy to see you, and they might send you back with some extra cash. There are also many places that accept donations in the form of clothing, so you could go ahead and give your unused clothes to those who are less fortunate.

House Cleaning

Of course, spring cleaning also refers to the act of cleaning your entire living space. This shouldn’t require too much explanation, but for the sake of being thorough, let’s get into it. Along with cleaning your desk, take some time to dust and clean all the various surfaces in your living space. It’s also a good idea to regularly disinfect items such as your laptop or smart phone, as these items in particular often carry more bacteria due to constant use.

Now that your desk and furniture are all (hopefully) sparklingly clean, it’s time to vacuum. If you don’t own a vacuum, you should be able to rent one from your school. Another option would be to purchase a smaller, wireless hand-held vacuum cleaner. Of course, this may take much longer but it will still get the job done.

Perhaps most importantly, along with cleaning and organizing your living space, take inventory of your life. What accomplishments have you made this year? Which aspects of your life would you most like to improve? Try to imagine spring cleaning as a time for new beginnings, so make any changes that you think will help you moving forward. With a clean, organized space and a new perspective, you’ll be ready to take on the world.

By Firsthand
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