Eco-Friendly Dorm Rooms

With the costs of education so high to begin with, the thing on most people’s minds when it comes to life in the dorm nowadays isn’t how to chic it out but rather how to make it as cheap as possible. But you can still “go green” in your dorm without going broke. Here are a few ways to do just that.

Skip the noxious chemicals. All you need to clean your dorm is some baking soda and water—and vinegar for tougher spots, if you prefer. In fact, baking soda is so cheap and has so many uses, you probably won’t need to buy many, if any, other cleaners while you’re in your new home away from home.

Re-use everything. When I was a sophomore, I remember using some twelve-pack soda boxes for “drawers” in my wardrobe. No one had to see them, after all, and they held my socks and underwear quite well in the otherwise large and useless wardrobe!

The same goes with what you wear. If you’re in class, then studying, and then sleeping, you’re likely not sweating much (unless you’re a phys ed major or have no air conditioning). You may find the idea repulsive at first, but if your laundry doesn’t stink, you don’t have to wash it yet. Feel free to wear shirts and even jeans for more than one day. While many Westerners may dislike the idea, it’s common practice in many countries and causes you no harm. You will save money, detergent and water by washing your clothes less often.

Don’t buy junk you don’t need. Ever hear that when you pack for college, you should always put a chunk of what you packed back because you simply won’t need it? That’s absolutely true—and so is the fact that you don’t need to buy a bunch of other crap, either. Swap or rent the games or movies you want to see rather than buying them, check out the books you need from the library (or request that they acquire them for you), and when you do have to make purchases, make them all-in-one type buys—such as shampoo that doubles as conditioner or even body cleanser.

Invest in an air purifier. A spider plant will actually work nicely! You may also want a water purifier. And on that note…

Bring one bottle for your water and use it every day. SIGG makes great bottles that you can re-use; they even have a cleaning brush you can use as well. (FYI, baby bottle brushes also work well.) This will save you money and not put more plastic into landfills as well.

Recycle. Many campuses offer bins for at least paper products. If yours doesn’t, ask if it can. You can recycle other things besides paper as well—swap clothing or accessories with a roommate or dormmate rather than purchasing new ones, for example, or clean out the jug of milk you purchased and re-use it for keeping cool water in the fridge, or making lemonade.