Organizing Your Space While Living With Roommates
From college dorms to post-graduate living spaces, sharing an apartment with a roommate requires cooperation and communication. Instead of letting your brand-new place get cramped and crowded, it’s best to work together and create a space that’s clean and inviting for residents and guests alike.
Allow our team at Five Star Storage to give you practical tips on creating a harmonious, clutter-free environment while living with roommates.
Tips For Living With Roommates
It doesn’t matter if you’re moving into your first apartment together or have been through the process before. It’s essential to know how to live a calm and collected life with all your fellow residents. Here are some general guidelines to follow in your next chapter on apartment living with roommates.
Communication Is Key
Consistent communication is the key to a great roommate relationship. Being open to discussing issues or changes with your roommates will prevent confusion and trouble down the road. For seamless communication, we recommend you give your personal contact information, such as your phone number and email address, to everyone living in the apartment.
Set Personal Boundaries
Once you move into your apartment, establish your boundaries regarding which items you want to share. For example, if you have one roommate but two bathrooms, make sure you use your bathroom only. Before you use any items you don’t own, make an effort to reach out to whoever owns the item and ask for their permission.
Compromise on Your Differences in Lifestyle
Even close friends will not see every aspect of apartment living eye-to-eye. Make compromises to be courteous to any different habits you all have.
A great example of lifestyle compromises would be different sleep schedules. One of your roommates may have to get up early for classes or a job. Establish quiet hours so your early-rising roommate gets a good night’s sleep.
Coordinate Schedules
It’s always a good idea to plan who will be in the apartment and when. Consider sharing your work schedules and when you plan to be away for extended periods. Providing each other with this information helps build trust and confidence in each other.
You should also plan out how and when your roommates will pay the bills. Some good financial practices include knowing how much each person pays for rent, electricity, internet, and gas.
Spend Some Time With Each Other
Even if you don’t know each other well, it’s never too late to know your new roommates a little better. Instead of isolating yourself in your rooms, take the opportunity to connect by doing one or more of the following activities:
- Watch a movie or TV show
- Play a board game
- Play a video game
- Go out to a new restaurant
- Take a walk around the neighborhood
- Chat over a cup of coffee or tea
We recommend you find common interests between each other. This connection will help you organically plan what to do during future hangouts and allow you to form a stronger bond in less time.
Organizing Ideas For Small Spaces
As you all begin to settle into a routine, clutter may start to pile up throughout the apartment. Whether you have random containers tumbling out of cabinets or unused bags hanging from doorknobs, a little organization always goes a long way.
With some practical tips and tricks, you and your roommates can maximize every square inch of space, even in a smaller space. Let our team share five organizational tips that give everyone the power to declutter properly.
1. Work on Organizing Your Closet Space
When you wake up in the morning, you don’t want to open up to a crowded closet. Instead, work on ways to organize and declutter your closet. As you begin your closet cleanout, take everything out first. From there, make a donation bin for unwanted items, group similar items together, and slowly place your items back in an organized manner.
2. Utilize Vertical Space for Storage
Instead of thinking just from left to right, think up and down as well! Vertical space is your hidden secret to not allowing a single inch of space to go to waste. Here are some ways to use vertical space in your apartment:
- Wall shelves. Create additional storage space without placing anything on the floor.
- Tall furniture. For shelves that do start on your floor, invest in as tall of furniture as possible while avoiding any pieces sticking out too far horizontally.
- Hanging organizers. Use hanging organizers in your kitchen or pantry to store utensils, aprons, and small bottles of spices.
- Stackable bins. Invest in stackable containers to maximize vertical spacing without taking up a ton of horizontal space.
This approach works especially well when organizing closet space. You can use hanging shelves, over-the-door racks, and storage boxes to keep everything neatly arranged.
3. Invest in Multifunctional Furniture
Another great way to maximize small spaces is to invest in multifunctional furniture. Since furniture takes up a good deal of room, it’s best to take advantage of each piece you get through different purposes. Some examples of multifunctional furniture fit for an apartment are ottomans or coffee tables with storage included, foldout couches, and benches with drawers.
4. Regularly Clean and Declutter
Sometimes, the best path to peace of mind is in a clean and comfortable home. Rotate with your roommates to regularly clean even the smallest nooks and crannies of your apartment. Frequently check every cabinet, closet, and drawer to see which items you want to donate or remove.
A good standard to go by is the “one-in, one-out” rule. If you bring an item in, another item must find its way out. This is especially useful when organizing closet space—if you buy a new piece of clothing, consider donating an old one to keep your closet clutter-free.
5. Rent a Storage Unit
While space can get tight in an apartment, you shouldn’t have to throw out treasured trinkets just to reclaim a counter. A storage unit can become your best friend when you and your roommates desperately need some wiggle room.
The best storage facilities, such as those from Five Star Storage, will offer a broad range of storage unit types and sizes to best fit your needs. If you plan to store several items sensitive to extreme temperatures, invest in a climate-controlled storage unit.
Declutter Your Apartment With Five Star Storage Today
If you and your roommate need a reliable place to store your belongings, turn to Five Star Storage. Our state-of-the-art storage facilities offer a wide selection of storage unit types and sizes, all with an extensive range of features. Whether your friend needs to declutter or you need to make some much-needed room, we’re here to help.
Don’t wait! Contact us or find your nearest Five Star Storage location online to rent or reserve your storage unit today!