If you’ve ever lived in a hostel, you already know – hostel rooms aren’t exactly spacious or glamorous. Let’s be real,  hostel rooms aren’t made for people who own more than two pairs of shoes. You’ve got one cupboard, maybe half a table if you’re lucky, and a bed that turns into a dining table, study desk, and nap zone all in one. Add in a roommate and a stash of half-eaten snacks, and yeah… things get messy fast.

I’ve stayed in a few girls’ hostels in Coimbatore, and over time, I picked up a few habits – nothing fancy, just things that helped me keep my room from turning into a disaster zone. You don’t need Pinterest-level organizing or a cleaning schedule stuck to your wall—just a bit of consistency and the willingness to not let the mess win.

Here are some real tips that helped me,  no filters, no fake routines. Just honest tricks that made hostel life a little less chaotic.

1. Do a 5-Minute Clean-Up Every Morning (Even if You’re Rushing)

I used to think, “I’ll clean it later.” But later never came. Before I knew it, my table was a disaster, I couldn’t find my comb, and I stepped on a biscuit wrapper.

Now, I just take 5 minutes in the morning,  right after brushing,  to do a quick tidy-up:

• Fold my blanket 
• Put yesterday’s clothes in the laundry bag 
• Wipe down the table with a cloth 
• Throw away any trash 

It doesn’t have to be deep cleaning. Just enough to make the room feel less chaotic.

2. Use Hooks. Lots of Hooks.

If you’re in one of the hostels in Hopes Coimbatore, you know space is a luxury. Hooks saved my life.

I bought a bunch of stick-on wall hooks from a nearby supermarket and used them for everything:

• Towels 
• Bags 
• My college ID (which I kept losing) 
• Umbrella 

You can even hang a small caddy from a hook and use it as a floating shelf. It frees up table space and keeps things off the floor.

3. Keep a “Catch-All” Basket

Let’s be honest, there are always those random things: hairbands, receipts, charger wires, lip balm, keys… They never really have a proper place.

I started using a small basket (literally ₹60 from a local shop near my hostel) where I’d just throw in all the odds and ends. Every weekend, I’d sort it out and throw away what I didn’t need.

This one thing stops my table from turning into a mess pile.

4. Don’t Ignore Laundry — It Builds Up Fast

Laundry is where things start spiralling out of control. Especially during exams, I used to ignore it until I had nothing left to wear except my old kurti with paint stains.

So here’s my rule: laundry every 4 days, even if it’s just a few clothes.

If you’re staying at a Ladies Hostel near Hopes College, Coimbatore, chances are there’s a shared washing machine or a nearby laundry service. Use it. Don’t wait till your whole cupboard smells like used socks.

5. Food Crumbs = Insects. Be Ruthless.

Look, I get it — hostel snacks are life. I’ve had my fair share of midnight chips and cake slices. But the ant problem that followed? Not fun.

If you eat in your room (which most of us do), just clean up right after. Wipe the table, wash your plate, and don’t leave half-eaten snacks lying around.

Also, keep dry food in airtight containers. Even a simple dabba from D-Mart works. I learned this after finding ants in my biscuit packet twice.

6. Storage Boxes Are Your Best Friends

Hostel cupboards are usually tiny. I used 3 plastic boxes,  one for toiletries, one for random stuff like power banks and tape, and one for dry food. They stack nicely, and they don’t take up too much room.

I labelled them with masking tape, nothing fancy,  and it made life so much easier. No more digging through piles of stuff every morning.

If you’re in a PG hostel for women, storage can be even more limited, so using boxes or bags that fit under the bed really helps.

7. Clean as You Go (Especially When You’re Stressed)

Weirdly, the mess multiplies when you’re stressed. Exam time? Suddenly, the whole room looks like a war zone.

What helped me was the “clean as you go” rule. If I took something out, I put it back right after using it,  not hours later. If I finished eating, I cleaned it up immediately.

I didn’t always follow it perfectly, but the days I did? Everything felt easier.

8. Make It Feel Like Your Space

This one’s not about cleaning, it’s about comfort. Put up a small photo, a plant, a quote, or fairy lights. Something that makes you smile when you walk into your room.

When you like your space, you naturally take better care of it. It doesn’t have to be aesthetic or Instagram-worthy. Just yours.

In one of the Best Ladies’ Hostels in Coimbatore, where I stayed, my roommate had these tiny handmade posters on the wall with silly jokes. I loved it. Our room felt warm,  not just four walls and a bed.

9. Do a Monthly “Throw-Away” Session

Every month, I set a reminder to spend 15 minutes throwing out stuff I don’t use:

• Expired meds 
• Broken pens 
• Empty skincare bottles 
• Old receipts 
• Worn-out socks (yes, the ones with holes you think you’ll wear someday) 

Less stuff means less mess. Simple as that.

Final Thoughts

Hostel life isn’t perfect. Sometimes you’ll come back after a long day, trip over your own shoes, and find your roommate’s wet towel on your bed. That’s normal.

But if you build small cleaning habits into your routine, everything gets easier. You sleep better, think clearly, and you’re not scrambling to find your charger five minutes before class.

Whether you’re living in a girls’ hostel in Coimbatore, a PG hostel for women, or looking around the hostels in Hopes Coimbatore, the goal is the same: to create a space that feels calm, manageable, and a little bit like home.

And trust me, even a tiny, shared hostel room can feel like home,  you just have to take care of it.