Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do colleges steam clean dorm room carpets in the summer, or are they as filthy as hotel rooms? Has anyone done a quick steam clean the morning of move-in?

This will not be logistically possible, so forget about it. But are you sure there’s carpet?

The biggest problem is the room getting incredibly dusty (huge dustballs) because there’s no airflow or room to move things around to clean. If you are particular, an air purifier might be a good idea.

Parents should not say anything unless their kid requests it.

Air purifier was on a list of dorm items that one of the seniors sent to incoming recruits on my daughter's team (steam cleaner was not on the list).

Doesn't steam cleaning leave the carpet damp? Dorm rooms are notorious for humidity/lack of ventillation even with windows open. I'd be worried the carpet wouldn't fully dry and could then become moldy.

Also, schlepping a steam cleaner up to a dorm room is crazy. There's too much other stuff to carry.

I’ve seen a lot of dorm recommendations for air purifiers. We have them in our home (master bedroom, living room, DC’s room) because both DC and my husband have year-round indoor/outdoor allergies (dust, pollen, etc) and are very sensitive to them. We’ll send DC to school with one for the dorm room for sure.

My kids' schools (two different schools) came with purifiers. May become less common, but I think both purchased them during covid and they are still standard issue.

DS was sick from October to April his freshman year in a 100 yr old dorm with gross carpeting. He won the housing lottery his second year (with a 10 year old dorm) and didn't have a single sick day.

DD’s carpeted room was pretty dusty/dirty/gross when we got there. I was glad that we brought a cordless vacuum. We wiped everything down and vacuumed the entire room before setting up, and then she kept it in her closet. (Both girls had long hair, so it did get used throughout the year.)

Also, carpeted rooms can get pretty nasty in the winter as moisture from wet winter things evaporates. DD was thankful for DampRid and her fan.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do colleges steam clean dorm room carpets in the summer, or are they as filthy as hotel rooms? Has anyone done a quick steam clean the morning of move-in?

They may clean them but they're still gross. My DD and her roommate had a rug that they used over the bulk of the dorm carpeting.

You realize that more carpeting (rug/s) makes things worse? It may cover up out of sight whatever is on that gross carpet underneath but from a health standpoint and allergies, it's worse to have more carpeting.

Neither have allergies. They just didn't want years of feet and whatever else on them. And it worked just fine for them.

When I was in college, the boys wings were a disaster. They would prank each other by throwing bodily flluids under the doors. They peed on the doors when drunk. And since the carpet was connected to the hall, the fluids would get into the guys' rooms. I don't care how much they were washed, i'd want another rug too.

This conversation shows why general DCUM threads aren't helpful to answer individual college-specific questions. To those who say dorms don't have carpet, both of my kids' dorms at different schools had carpet (the cheap, low industrial kind, probably made of carpet squares for easy replacement). I have no clue whether they were steam cleaned in the summer or not, and nobody outside OP's kid's specific school community can answer this question for her.

To OP: you'll get better answers to your very specific question by joining the parents FB group for your kids' school. Or, if you are driving and have space, just bring or rent a steam cleaner if you are very concerned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do colleges steam clean dorm room carpets in the summer, or are they as filthy as hotel rooms? Has anyone done a quick steam clean the morning of move-in?

They may clean them but they're still gross. My DD and her roommate had a rug that they used over the bulk of the dorm carpeting.

You realize that more carpeting (rug/s) makes things worse? It may cover up out of sight whatever is on that gross carpet underneath but from a health standpoint and allergies, it's worse to have more carpeting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do colleges steam clean dorm room carpets in the summer, or are they as filthy as hotel rooms? Has anyone done a quick steam clean the morning of move-in?

This will not be logistically possible, so forget about it. But are you sure there’s carpet?

The biggest problem is the room getting incredibly dusty (huge dustballs) because there’s no airflow or room to move things around to clean. If you are particular, an air purifier might be a good idea.

Parents should not say anything unless their kid requests it.

What? We are brining an air purifier at the get go. This is a standard health issue. Google mold and college dorms and you will see why. NOt to mention illnesses floating around these dorms.

Each kid should bring a commercial-grade steam cleaner.

Anonymous wrote:Do colleges steam clean dorm room carpets in the summer, or are they as filthy as hotel rooms? Has anyone done a quick steam clean the morning of move-in?

They may clean them but they're still gross. My DD and her roommate had a rug that they used over the bulk of the dorm carpeting.