Packing for College: Your Bathroom

There are two types of dorm rooms in college: Those that have their own bathrooms, and those that don't. I have my own bathroom in my dorm room, so I'm going to write about that section first. Then I'll talk about not having your own bathroom. (I've heard enough from my bathroom-less friends to get a pretty good idea of what you're going to need for that.)

If you have your own bathroom...
Having your own bathroom is fantastic. What's not fantastic? You're going to have to clean it about once a week or so. (They get nasty fast, actually. Remember your bathroom at home? Same rules apply.)

So, what are you going to need in your bathroom? Well, let's see...

1. A Shower Curtain & Liner
This honestly seems like it would be a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many people forgot about this last year. Don't forget the shower rings, too!! You're going to have to hang them on the curtain rod someway! (Oh, you might also want to bring an expanding curtain rod, for the shower. Otherwise, you may be left out.)

2. A Trash Can
You're a girl, right? So obviously you're going to have some girly problems eventually. Get a trash can (it can be pretty and patterned, or it can be plain; your choice) and stick it beside your toilet.

3. Cleaning Supplies
So, what sort of cleaning supplies are we talking about?

1. Lysol Wipes (makes cleaning much easier)
2. Scrubbing Bubbles (best bathroom cleaner I've found)
3. Toilet Brush (trust me; don't wanna stick your hands in that!)
4. Mr. Clean (or some other type of toilet-bowl cleaner)
5. Windex (bathroom mirrors & other mirrors)
6. Trash bags (for the trash can; makes cleanup easier)
7. Some kind of cleaning thing for the shower (I have a little shower scrubber)

You can probably make a much longer list than that, but that's what I use, normally, so that's what I'm listing!

4. Toiletries

Again, another no-brainer. Bring everything you're going to need.

1. Toothbrush
2. Toothpaste
3. Floss
4. Makeup
5. Makeup remover things (if you use them)
6. Body wash
7. Body sponge (or washcloth)
8. Towels & Washcloths (don't forget these! Try to get a different color than your roommate)
9. Shampoo & Conditioner
10. Retainers, braces, etc. that you need to wear at night (if needed)
11. Toilet Paper
12. Pads, Tampons, Pantyliners, etc.
13. Razors (and shaving cream, if you use it)
14. FIrst aid kid (especially bandaids!!)

5. Storage

This is where it gets fun. I have little bins for my stuff to go in, and I keep it all on my over-toilet rack that my parents bought for me at Wal-Mart. It's REALLY handy. It gives us a lot of extra storage space! Plus, it has three shelves - one for her, one for me, and one for the other stuff that we want to put on it.

I also have a little shower caddy. It's plastic, and it has little slits in the bottom so that water can drain out, and it has suction cups along the side. It sticks in the corner, and it fits so neatly. It really gives me so much more room than one that would hang over the shower head. (There's not any room under the shower head, actually.) And a giant one that stacked in the corner just wouldn't work. Corner shelves are BEST.

We have a medicine cabinet behind the mirror, but we didn't use it last year. (Doubt we'll do so this year, either.) But we have a ton of space underneath the sink. That's where all the cleaning supplies, "feminine hygiene" supplies, and the extra toilet paper and first aid kid go. You can bring little bins to stack under here as well, so you can organize things into "mine" and "yours," if you feel like it. (I just kept mine to the left of the under-sink, because all of my stuff was on the left of the sink.)

6. RUGS.
Good gracious, get yo'self some rugs, gurl!

I'm not joking. The tile floors are going to be freezing in the mornings! (Especially in the winter!) Get some pretty rugs to match the shower curtain that you bought. Or, try to match the rugs with the curtain that your roomie bought. Or even your towels. Mine happen to be teal. (They match my towels.)

You're gonna want two - one to go in front of the sink, and one to go in front of the shower. (You're welcome.)

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All right! That's it for that particular section! Let's move on to the other section...

If you don't have your own bathroom...

Well, if you don't have your own bathroom, things are probably going to look a bit grim at this point in time. The people with their own bathrooms get to have fun decorating the place, and making everything look spiffy. 

What do you get?

1. A Shower Basket
They sell these at pretty much any store that sells college stuff. (I know Bed, Bath, & Beyond has a good selection.) 

These are usually wire (with a ton of holes), or a pretty-colored plastic (also with lots of holes), and have plenty of storage space.

Remember, you're going to have to fit the following things into your shower basket:

1. Shampoo & Conditioner
2. Body Wash
3. Face Wash (some people use this; others don't)
4. Bath Sponge (or washcloth)
5. Razor
6. Shaving Cream (some people use it; others just use the body wash)
7. Lotion (some people apply it after shaving their legs)
8. Anything else you use in the shower on a daily basis

That's a lot of stuff! Make sure your shower basket is sturdy and can hold a lot of things. You don't want it breaking on you mid-year, and you don't want to have to buy a replacement! (I'm sure these things aren't cheap, if you want them to last!)

2. A Bath Robe

You may or may not want to bring your clothes into the communal shower. Maybe you'll want to bring just your bra and panties, because you don't want to risk the other things falling on the floor (or getting stolen[!!]).

Invest in a nice bath robe, something that you wouldn't be embarrassed to be caught in. Usually, just at or below knee-length is great. (Any shorter, and some people might be seeing more than they bargained for! Although I'm sure the guys would love it.)

Find something plush and soft. (Heck, if I had a communal bathroom, I'd splurge and buy the TARDIS bath robe from ThinkGeek! MMMMMM!!) Remember: you're going to be wearing this probably daily whenever you get out of the shower...or at least until you can get back into your room. (In fact, a bath robe may not be a bad idea in your own room, too, if you have your own bathroom!)

3. Towels & Washcloths

Yes, of course you're going to need these. You can either pick pretty or practical. (Mine are pretty, but they shed like the dickens. It would take like six wash cycles, on as high as they would go, to stop them from shedding.)

Get some big ones. If you're not going to buy a bath robe, you may find that your clothes have been stolen one day while you're in the shower (it actually happened to a friend of mine...some kind of sorority "prank"), and you're going to need a way to cover up.

The washcloths are for whatever you need to do in the shower, or maybe even drying your face off after you get out of the shower.

Try to get your initials sewn onto your towels (but don't spend like $50 per towel on monogramming, like some of the sorority girls do...that's just not practical), or maybe even your name. (Try and see if your mom will do it for you.) Do the same to your washcloths. If you can't get it sewn on, try writing your name on the tags with permanent marker. You may need to refresh it a couple of times throughout the year, but nobody should be able to steal your towels without cutting off the tags!

But what about...?

What about all the other things I mentioned in the other list above? The makeup, the facial cleansers, etc.?

Here's the good thing: normally, dorms that share communal showers have sinks in the individual rooms, along with mirrors. That means you can do all your teeth-brushing and makeup-applying right in the comfort of your own dorm room! (How awesome is that?)

Of course, if you don't have an individual sink, you're probably going to want another shower caddy-thing to hold all of your makeup and facial stuff, along with your toothbrush things, so that you can take it to and from the communal bathroom. 

You may also want to invest in a "that-time-of-the-month pouch" or something of the sort. Some freebie sites sometimes give away free tampons and stuff that come in a cute little pouch. That way, that's all you have to take to the bathroom whenever Aunt Flo comes to visit. Or you could just take your purse; that works too. (Or an old makeup bag.) That's the one thing I would hate about having a communal bathroom - the period stuff. Eurgh.

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All right!

Now do you feel like you're more prepared for whatever bathroom-type that your college throws at you? Is there something that you brought to college that's NOT on this list? Tell me in the comments!

Have any other questions? Please ask! I'll reply to everything...and I don't bite! Promise!