Dorm life is arguably one of the most important aspects of a student’s college experience. From learning to share a small space with a stranger to discovering the difference between hot and cold water in the washing machine (about two pant sizes), it’s often the first time the student is living independently.
With this independence comes a sense of innovation, as little money and no parental supervision collide, making everyday dilemmas a bit more challenging.
Curious as to how students on campus address these problems, I conducted a series of interviews, and in the process learned quite a bit about the versatility of one item in particular: duct tape.
One student, who asked to be identified only as Chris, detailed how he utilized duct tape in his dorm.
Q: “What are some creative solutions you’ve used to solve problems in your dorm?”
A: “Duct tape.”
Q: “How did you use it?”
A: “To keep the room from falling down. Our shower rod fell, so we duct taped it back to the wall … still hasn’t fallen. There were holes in our sofa, so we taped over those too. A window cracked, so we put tape on the crack. The sun heated it, and it melted into the crack and sealed the glass back together. We’ve also duct taped our clothes, injuries and utensils. You’d be surprised how well taping the prongs of a fork works [for] eating cereal; it’s just like a spoon. Duct tape is good stuff.”
Chris wasn’t the only one to relate duct tape success stories. A few students noted its remarkable durability as a wallet, and in one case, replacement car window.
Many living in the older dorms spoke highly of the tape’s function in keeping spiders, centipedes and other wildlife out that often find their way into the hallways; simply tape the crack under the door (in one case, the tape was placed adhesive side up in front of the door, to trap and “publicly shamed” creatures trying to enter).
Speaking with a group of sorority sisters, I learned how to make a Halloween costume out of duct tape. However, I did not learn how to remove the garment.
Clothing hangers were also popular materials for solving everyday dilemmas. Christmas lights attached to a hanger have become chandeliers, while bent wire hangers have proved most useful in picking up beer cans the day after a party.
Other everyday materials were also discussed in addressing the struggles of dorm life. Chair legs with screws protruding make excellent bottle openers. Roombas are expensive, but attaching a Swiffer pad to a remote control car is not.
In need of another innovation? A beer can makes an excellent showerhead in a pinch. Missing handles on dressers are easily replaced with chains of paperclips. A stick of deodorant placed in front of a fan makes an excellent air freshener. Hoola-hoops are convenient when overhead lights go out; simply hang light bulbs from their extension cords from the hoop. Suspending clothes on bungee cords attached to bed frames frees up quite a bit of closet space. The list of innovations I spoke with students about was impressively extensive.
After a week of interviews, I felt I’d had a considerable education in both innovation and engineering. The resourcefulness of students was remarkable and even enlightening, to a degree. These conversations truly made me reconsider how wasteful it can be to simply buy new things when they break as opposed to trying to fix them with materials on hand. I’ll certainly never look at duct tape the same way again.
