u/tx2longhorn9 Get a plastic shower caddy that drains & can be easily cleaned. We got this one & it fits all the essentials in the various compartments.

There's a metal door with 2 coat hooks on it. I usually use this for my towel. Then there's a curtain that pulls over this so that it doesn't get wet.

Once you're inside, there's a single metal shelf about shoulder height. I would estimate it's about 12'' x 6'', but it could be slightly smaller. There's also a big tile bench/shelf area in the bathroom that everyone has access to. I typically just drop the caddy off there and then carry in what I need to put on the shower shelf (it's a little high for a caddy, I imagine) but I don't see any reason you couldn't bring a caddy in there.

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I carried my items in and out of the shower, which would be inconvenient when you were about to hop in the shower and realized you left some toiletry under the sink outside of the room with the shower. I also really wanted to know if we could bring a caddy with us before OTS, but my interpretation of the Dorm SOP is pretty much that you can't have one in the room unless you're willing to walk it to and from the civilian luggage room to use it but also remain inspection-ready. Showering at OTS was an adjustment for me but I survived, and you will too.

I will also say that there isn't a good spot to rest shower items in the shower. I just put them on the metal bar with a flat top that makes up the scaffolding that holds the shower glass door together. This was pretty unideal because it would get slippery from humidity and my items would come crashing down occasionally. Bruised my foot from my shampoo bottle striking it like a torpedo lol. You could put your items right on the floor of the shower, but they ask you to bring shower shoes for a reason. I won't elaborate further. :) Feel free to reach out privately if you have any other questions!

I highly recommend getting a toiletry bag and keeping your stuff in that. The contents won’t be inspectable and it’s easily grabbed to get in the shower. The only issue is that a full bottle or 3-in-1 body wash/shampoo won’t fit (I had a smaller one and ran out). I have a normal size now and just grab that and the toiletry bag and it works fine (and is way better than having all your stuff out and inspectable).

https://preview.redd.it/b55bfv4xpt2f1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8af2ab9e72ba15e8166bc797527c9d2d56cecf3

Your items will be stored under your sink, in accordance with the Dorm SOP. I would assume that when you need to shower, you would just take your soap/shampoo in with you, dry the item when you’re done and put it away, back under the sink.

Read the dorm manual/OTSMAN, all answers will be found within.

First piece of advice is MAKE SURE TO BRING FLIP FLOPS.

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As for your other shower items, it is totally up to you and how your room mates/dorm mates are. I used to leave mine in the shower and they were fine but then further down the track I had other room mates stealing my shit. So you just have to scope it out at first and see what happens. You could store them in your room but ain't nobody got time for that.

1. Flip Flops. Get them from Dollar General or Walmart for dirt cheap. DO NOT ever take a shower in a communal shower without some sort of footwear unless you don't care about GonoSyphilAIDS. College kids are nasty.

2. Make sure your shower caddy is big enough to carry a change of clothes (or bring a plastic bag) if you don't want to walk the halls in a towel. I primarily used a loofa, but rags can be hung over the side of your caddy. You'll find a good spot after moving in.

3. I hung my towel on a Command hook on my closet door, set the caddy on a small shelf in the closet itself.

4. From my experience, shower either SUPER early in the morning (like 6am) or late at night ( 12:30-1am) as those were the least busy times. Yours may, differ, but if privacy is something you value at all, learn when to shower most alone quickly.

5. For stink issues, always have a can of Febreze/Glade/Lysol/whatever on hand, plus whatever other quick-clean supplies you might need (Lint roller, Clorox wipes, etc.). And clean regularly. I was gifted with a particularly dirty roommate who really only combated smells with incense that also sort of stunk.

If you have a towel rack on your door or a coat rack, get an S-hook and hang your loofah on that. For caddy, you can do the same if it has the hook on top or get a small rag and place it on the floor with the caddy on top. Bring 3 rags and swap them out weekly.

I had a hook for my shower caddy in my room and I hung my towel on a bar that was provided for me in my room. I don't use a loofah but my caddy had a pocket in it that could've stored one.

WEAR FLIP FLOPS

If you can hang it somewhere where it won’t drip, that’s best for air circulation. Next best is setting it somewhere out of the way on a small towel, which I’m pretty sure is what I used to do. Put up some hooks for towels, too.

If your room is extra small, get an electric fan. It’s good for so many things, like white noise and cooling off, but also for air circulation when there are wet things in the room, or if it’s a humid day.

Hope this helps :)

during my year as freshman (last academic year) people would constantly forget all their shower stuff in the shower and nobody would ever steal it, if anything they would just move it towards the sink until you come back and get it yourself. really, everybody just wants to shower or go in and out, nobody is going to take it if i’m being honest

In freshman dorms, there’s like a little area outside the shower like a changing space to put your stuff there (it’s still covered by a curtain). Also no one is taking your caddy dw lmao people just want to shower no one is gonna steal your stuff

Lol yeah I did that last year

I had a small hook with my caddy that had all my towels and change of clothes inside them. I also used plastic bags to minimize any contact with with any surface of the bathroom. None of my clothes got wet since I placed the caddy just under where the shower ran from the head.

And like the other commenter said, nobody will take your belongings.

Always bring your clothes! I used to go back and forth in a robe, and I got stuck outside with only my robe in the freezing cold one night due to a fire alarm

I recommend getting a mesh shower caddy (that way you can wash it) that has a drawstring (so your clothes don't fall out). Mine came with an S hook that I use to hang off the hook in the shower and a thing to hang your keys off of. I also recommend using plastic bags to hold your dirty clothes in the caddy. Something I do (which is definitely not for everyone) is spray down the shower head, caddy hook, drain, and shower handle with a can of Lysol. If you're really worried about it being stolen (highly unlikely), you can get a brightly colored or patterned caddy.

https://housing.uci.edu/movein/What\_to\_Bring.html

Shower shoes

A trashcan is something a lotta people forget

money, money can solve anything

Definitely a fan—an optional addition would be one of those febreeze car fresheners that you can clip onto your fan since the rooms smell a little musty when you first move in. And as far as shower caddies are concerned, I'd definitely recommend one of those mesh ones over a plastic one. The showers are pretty tiny so you don't have much room to set your shower caddy down, but if you've got one of those mesh ones, you can hang it on the shower handle.

Hope this helps!

If you can find a flexible caddy with fabric handles, grab a cheap carabiner to hang it from the curtain rod so you don't have it sitting on the floor

The only important thing I can think of is to bring flip flops to wear when you take a shower. Unspeakable things have happened to those floors.

Bring a broom into the bathroom on Friday afternoon. Lock one of the stalls on the end of a row by reaching over the top with the broom handle. Tape an Out of Order sign on the door. Then, on Sunday morning, there will be at least one place to take a crap that doesn't have bodily fluid stains on the seat.

Like the others suggested, please wear flip flops at all times. Even while showering.

From what I have seen, the layout of the bathrooms varies from dorm (area) to dorm (area). Biggest thing I would recommend is flip-flops. Asides from that, perhaps a caddy. Soap cause in my floor we would rarely have soap there (which was disgusting considering no one complained) so bringing a bar of soap could help

I hate suction cup caddies.

Despite this, IKEA’s Tisken basket caddy is the best one I’ve used. I have matte, slightly textured tiles and it still works great.

You can find tension pole shower caddies on Amazon, or check Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Home Depot for options.

These from ikea! I have had them in two apartments and they are amazing! The suction is really strong, but you can just peel it off with a card. They also clip on, so you can easily remove the basket to clean.

ikea

I have a tension rod one tension rod caddy

Recently moved and it was easy to take down. Had to use the included extension poles to make it long enough at my new place, and it's working just as great

P.s. adhesives are easy to remove with a lil heat from a hair dryer and goo gone.

For a bathroom you should be ok with just a glass cleaner like windex, a disinfecting all purpose cleaner for the toilet and sink(Lysol is great).For the bath/shower I personally just use dawn dishsoap or dawn powerwash. After that all you need is paper towels and sponges. Oh and a toilet brush.

Howdy! Here is my list and what works for me:

- Clorox Toilet Wand

- Lysol (Lime/Rust specifically) toilet bowl cleaner or Zepp Toilet Cleaner

- Scrubbing Bubbles is fine if you keep up on your shower. If you get behind you will need more (Bar keepers friend, CLR..)

You can do amazing things with just Dawn + White Vinegar + Hot Water and some old cotton t shirts if you are on a budget. Citric Acid is the primary ingredient in Zepp Toilet Bowl cleaner and it is a decent alternative to the Lysol above, if on a budget. A pumice stone for $2 from Walmart is nice as well if you get behind. Good luck!