For some, the smell of clean linens signifies a fresh start to conquer life. Others get defensive at the heart-racing mention of “spring cleaning,” toting Einstein’s famous line: “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”
But the allure of new beginnings is too good: This quarter we promised to spend more time outside soaking up sunshine (instead of the window seat at the library), finally talk to the cute boy upstairs and actually get an A in the last sequence of orgo. You may bounce out of bed with a renewed determination for spring quarter, but a winterized room still needs a springtime transition for a true new start.
Spring cleaning is hard, and getting started is always the hardest part, so put on your “Sweet Songs for Sunny Days” Spotify jam and transform your dorm into a sparkling clean, springtime habitat:
Excavate ‘til you see the desk
Remember that desk that once sat unblemished, where you imagined breezing through problem sets with a cup of Earl Grey at your side? For many, that dream has long been whisked away. So sort through your clutter, dust off jacket covers and sell your old textbooks back to Beck’s or on Facebook just in time for Spring Quarter. If you’re visually inclined, buy or decorate some storage bins and rainbow file folders to categorize your receipts, sort your half-read magazines and organize your life. It might be hard to part with the sentimental, useless objects for the pack rats, but take heart: there is a desk at the bottom of your stuff just begging to be used.
Your beloved Macbook is also due for a spring makeover. Clean the screen with water and a lint-free cloth, between the keyboard keys with Q-tips and get rid of the fading stickers from when you were still a 1D fan boy. Your technological companion will glow in the spring sunshine instead of the dust from winter.
Change up the winter things
We’ve all mastered the “X Ways to Wear Your Winter Parka,” but how often was the ubiquitous coat washed? To change up your winter routine, flip over your mattress and sleep on the other side this quarter (as variety is the spice of life), get rid of the blankets sitting at the bottom of your bed and pack up the marshmallow jackets to ship home or to pack away until next year. For the rest of your closet, recruit friends to be on your fashion panel as you throw clothes into Yes/No boxes for what to keep and what to donate or sell to Crossroads. When you come across the thing-I-forgot-I-borrowed-for-Halloween, be sure to return it to the nice guy down the hall who lent it to you months ago.
Oh, and that blue sock you’ve been wearing with the gray one all quarter? Yeah, time to do some sock matchmaking.
Add some cheerful greenery
Spring Quarter is a sunshine “hoorah!” for an applause-worthy winter resilience. Celebratory favorites include indulgent Frappuccinos, pulling out the tortoise shell sunnies, the khaki Bermuda shorts and everything bright, light and airy about spring. So do just that in your room – reflect the light with a new mirror (or clean the dust off your old one), open the windows for some real vitamin D, take a new springtime profile picture (plenty of student photographers are advertising their services for LinkedIn headshots, why not Facebook too?) and add some greenery into your dorm room to make it come alive. Don’t forget photosynthesis produces much-needed fresh oxygen in your (admittedly often) stuffy room. Buy a leafy houseplant or potted succulent for easy care, or even a bouquet of perennials will do the trick for a lazy college student. Try peonies, lavender or African violets in Northwestern purple.
If you’re a hipster, tack on a DIY project to your course load by creating your own terrarium in light bulbs, mason jars, French presses, fishbowls or yesterday’s Diet Coke liter. Choose green succulents, water sparingly and set them by your windowsill to soak up some Evanston sunlight – voila!