Go back to college with these dorm room necessities
August 3, 2015
The list of dorm room essentials is a never ending trail of miscellaneous products – quite a few of which will most likely sit untouched the entire semester. Before you get carried away and over buy, sit down and write down what you think you need – then dissect it. Consider these overlooked ideas:
Filtered water pitcher
At first the idea of having a heavy duty filtering water pitcher at hand may seem like over kill, but keep this in mind: most dorm rooms do not have sinks. And unless you have no problem constantly filling up bottles in the drinking fountain or – dare I say it – the bathroom sink, you’ll want to have fresh water on hand. A lot of new college student’s struggle maintaining a healthy diet and drinking plenty of clean water is the easiest way to combat that. Find a model that fits in your provided mini-fridge and enjoy a glass of fresh water without leaving the room.
Coffee pot
This may seem like a large purchase as well, but one trip to Pinterest will show you that the uses for a standard coffee pot are limitless in a dorm room. Yes, caffeine intake is necessary for a good study session, but there are a lot of other things these staple appliances can accomplish. Steam veggies, make instant oatmeal or mac & cheese, boil hot dogs and make the classic college delicacy – that’s right, the good ol’ cup o noodles. You can even get crafty and buy a small pan to fry an egg or a grilled cheese on the bottom hot plate. It’s up to you.
Vertical storage pieces
You don’t need me to tell you that dorm rooms have very limited space. That’s why it’s important to think vertically when it comes time to organize. Apply door and wall organizers to keep possessions in place. Get creative with how you use these storage pieces too — An over the door shoe organizer can be used to store cleaning products, snack foods and more.
Lap desk
Yes, when you move into your dorm room you will be provided with two pieces of furniture, one being a desk. But believe me when I tell you that you won’t always want to sit in front of it. A good, sturdy lap desk makes studying more comfortable and laid back. Crawl into bed and study for an exam or type up a paper without worrying about your computer overheating. A lap desk can always be used to watch movies in bed or eat dinner on the couch without having to balance plates or bowls on your lap. For an inexpensive addition, a lap desk can make daily college life extremely more comfortable.
Bean bag chair
The classic. It may seem silly now, but trust me you will be grateful for the extra seating. Whether you’re hanging out with friends or just wanting to relax with some Netflix, this lounging bean bag chair is your savior.
Most importantly be safe, be smart and be open-minded. Every year of your college life will help you grow and experience the world around you in new ways. Good luck!
Find these products and more like them at OrganizeIt.com.
Get dorm room decor and organization ideas from our friend, At Home With Nikki.
Celebrating Buy Michigan Week
July 27, 2015
This one is for our local friends.
Organize-It is based in Michigan – our warehouse is in Rochester Hills and if you’ve been to our storefront, you know it’s in Shelby on the corner of 25 Mile Road and Dequindre. Naturally, we’re big promoters of goods made in our beloved mitten state.
This week, July 27 to Aug. 2, has been declared Buy Michigan Week by Governor Rick Snyder. To celebrate, we want to take this opportunity to highlight a couple Michigan based manufacturers that we love working with.
Whitehall
Whitehall Products is based in Montague, Mich. Recognized as the worlds largest manufacturer of weathervanes, Whitehall offers lots of classic, customizable indoor and outdoor accents. The manufacturer specializes in mailboxes and address plaques, but they also offer lots of garden accents including hose holders, birdbaths, bird-feeders and sundials. You can also find lots of indoor/outdoor clocks, thermometers and personalized doormats on their site.
House Art
A little closer to home for us here at Organize-It is House Art, a exterior decor manufacturer based in Rochester, Mich. Our friends in Rochester offer some beautiful home address characters as well as stylish, modern mailbox designs and doorbell plates. We love the simplicity and clean look of their products – they seamlessly accent any home. Their popular house characters are available in a multitude of sizes, styles and colors. 
We are excited to work with local manufactures and happy to support such a wonderful event. Happy Buy Michigan Week -support your local businesses!
How to: A paperless kitchen is not a far off idea
July 20, 2015
I like to consider myself pretty eco friendly. I’m always yelling at my roommate to recycle, I’m going through a costly transition to all cruelty-free cosmetics (don’t make fun) and I’m even trying to grow my own veggies this year. But one of the biggest projects I want to tackle is converting my kitchen to completely paperless. That’s right — I’m done with paper towels, napkins and those large tubs of disinfecting wipes.
My grandmother would laugh at me right now. Paper towels? What a waste!
In reality, it’s not a stretch to strive for a paperless kitchen. How quickly we forget that the whole eco friendly call to action is a recent phenomenon because our grandparents (and their grandparents) didn’t have an abundance of paper products like we do today. If anything, that realization makes me more determined to knock out the wasteful cleaning supplies.
Plan
This transition is not an easy for everyone and it’s actually best done over a period of time. When making a change of this size, you need to allow yourself time to adjust and prepare. The best thing you can do is set a timeline highlighting small goals.
Maybe in two weeks’ time you want to stock up at least 20 cloth napkins. In another week, dish and hand towels. One more week and you can decide on storage that works for you.
Plan ahead and set goals – if you try to achieve a complete transition in a weekend, it will be a hard adjustment for you and those around you. Make it a learning experience and take the time to find the best solutions for your specific needs.
Stock up
First, work to gather all your supplies. Start to build up your new towels and napkins while you’re still working your way through your surviving paper products — don’t wait for them to run out.
If you check out our adjoining Pinterest board you’ll find lots of easy ways to create your own linens, whether its napkins, dish or hand towels. If you’re planning to go the DIY route, the consensus seems to be that diaper cloth or birdseye cloth is the best fabric for making your own kitchen towels. This fabric is absorbent and textured, perfect for cleaning up spills and stuck on food. The fabric is pretty inexpensive both in craft stores and online. And it’s super easy for anyone to do – simply cut, hem the sides and voila! Towels!
But what about your favorite dish sponge? Skoy cloths come in for the save. These cool biodegradable towels are designed to replace 15 rolls of paper towel each! They’re super absorbent and long lasting, perfect for washing dishes. They also dry quickly, fighting bacteria build up.
Storage
Once you have figured out your paper replacements, it is time to think about storage. You want to keep your towels close by and easy to access. You also want to keep towels separated and organized by use. Claim different spots for napkins, hand or dish towels and rags to make the transition easier on your family.
Keep napkins on your kitchen counter or table in a basket or glass jar. Large candy jars work perfectly for this. The glass containers keep cloths accessible, covered and they create a unique display that adds character to any décor.
For hand towels, hang them over your dishwasher or stove handle
– or add an Over the Cabinet Towel Rack. These racks are perfect if you’re still deciding where to stash your new hand towels, because you can move it from cabinet to cabinet. This hanger is designed to slide over cabinet doors and features padding to protect wood from scratches or wear marks.
Rags should be kept accessible too, but you don’t need to keep them out and about. You can keep them tucked in a drawer or under your kitchen sink, but the best idea I’ve found is a unique one. Utilize a Mounted Plastic Bag Recycler to keep rags easy to grab. This bin can be mounted to the inside of a kitchen cabinet door. Simply pile in your rags and pull them out one by one when needed – compare it to the way those handy sanitizing wipes pop out of the container.
Clean up
One of the biggest hesitations that people have when considering a paperless kitchen is the clean-up. It is common to assume that using linens for everything means more laundry, but it’s not the case. If you create an ample supply and utilize a convenient deposit bin for soiled towels, it’s easy – just throw them in the wash with the rest of the towels you’re already washing every week.
Add a small hamper to your pantry or under the kitchen sink to make it easy to switch hand and dish towels every day. The Door knob Hamper is a great addition. Add this small hamper to a pantry or closet door and keep dirty towels tucked away. The hanging design makes it easy to allow towels to dry before combining too, which helps fight mildew and bacteria build up.
Sharing
It may seem like a small detail, but it is important to ensure your entire household is in the loop. Talk to them, discuss ideas, see what they’re willing to give up and what they’re not – and compromise if you need to. Again, this is a transition not an instant change and it may take longer for some to get with it than others.
Take your time, plan the details and soon you’ll be enjoying the ease of a paperless kitchen.
Find these products and more at OrganizeIt.com.
Find related crafts, products and DIY projects at Pinterest.com/OrganizeIt.