The 6 Essential Tools for Every Dorm Room Cleaning Kit
For many college freshman, it's their first time away from home- and first time away from Mom's expert hand at keeping their home clean. To coax them into doing chores without the lure of allowance, pack these easy-to-use (but powerful) cleaners with their supplies. They'll be the answer to many a collegiate cleaning problem, like these:
1. When coffee rings cover their desks:
Wipes are a busy student's best friend - they're one-step, effective, and can you can stow a container of them almost anywhere, like under a desk or in a bathroom vanity. Disinfecting wipes like those from Lysol ($25, amazon.com) or Clorox ($14, amazon.com) remove dirt and grime from hard surfaces while killing bacteria. Maybe stock your kids' with a sticky note that reminds them not to use them on electronics, though - for tackling screen smudges, they should use a microfiber cloth or alcohol wipe (see #4, below).
2. When a hastily made breakfast ends up all over the floor:
When she's running late to class, there's a good chance that handful of cereal she quickly grabbed will end up everywhere. A 2-in-1 stick vacuum picks up messes like these quickly and won't take up much space. The Bissell Bolt 2-in-1 Lightweight Cordless Vacuum 1313, ($89.99, amazon.com) a Good Housekeeping Seal holder, worked well on bare floors and low-pile carpets in our tests, plus the two-way folding handle makes for easy storage in tight quarters.
3. When they finally realize that bathrooms don't clean themselves:
Not all students have en-suite bathrooms, but those could be faced with a rude awakening once mom waves good-bye. The easiest way to introduce your kid to the thrills of bathroom clean-up? Single-use scrubbers.
Clorox Scrub Singles Bathroom Pads ($12, amazon.com) are disposable pads infused with a cleaner activated by water. It's a multi-surface cleaning tool can be used to remove scum and grime on showers, sinks & faucets, walls, countertops and more. Just wet, scrub, toss and rinse.
When it comes to the toilet bowl (ick!) have your student try Scotch-Brite's Disposable Toilet Scrubbers ($7, amazon.com), which eliminate the need to clean a reusable toilet brush (a chore we imagine would only inspire a game of "not it!" between dorm-mates).
4. When their computer screen gets smudged:
Laptops or tablets are a must on campus but, and since your kid will use his so often, they'll continuously collect dust, dirt, and bacteria. A can of compressed air is a handy electronic-safe way to blow debris out of keyboard crevices. And for screens, we like Grime Boss Touch Screen Wipes ($4, amazon.com) that banish fingerprints and lingering dust.
5. When they can't go any longer without doing laundry:
A pop-up laundry hamper is easy to store and lug to the laundry room. The Neatfreak Pop Up Hamper with Pocket (neatfreak.com) comes with pockets to hold laundry detergent and fabric softener. too (Or maybe that textbook, for fitting in some extra study time as their clothes tumble? A mom can dream.)
6. Before critters become a big issue:
Dorms are defined by the swaths of people who are coming and going, every single day. As such, it's can be touch to control the insect friends that might get in the door, or sneak in wayward crack, hypnotized by the scent of snack food crumbs Equip your college-bound kid with a mattress encasement so bugs don't decide to take up permanently in their bed. Try the Bed Bug Zippered Mattress Protector from Aller-Ease ($36, amazon.com). It holds the Good Housekeeping Seal, and comes in twin extra-long, so it's sure to fit most dorm mattresses.
Michaelle Exhume is an analyst in the Cleaning and Home Products Lab in the Good Housekeeping Institute.
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