Dormitories are among the most important facilities on university campuses. A significant percentage of new college students spend their first year or two living in a dorm. The quality of these spaces has a major impact on student success, morale, and well-being. If incoming students are met with filthy, worn-down rooms, they’ll have a harder time sleeping, studying, and socializing. Conversely, well-kempt dorms facilitate a more pleasant college experience overall. Of course, dorms are temporary living arrangements, meaning they must accommodate new residents on a regular basis – this speaks to the importance of thorough dorm flipping.

Dorm flipping is the process of cleaning, repairing, renovating, and reorganizing dormitories to remove all traces of previous residents and make way for new ones. Those in charge of this task have a limited window of time to perform these dorm flips since there are only weeks or months between semesters. Establishing efficient dorm flipping processes is crucial for maintaining your school’s dormitories and ensuring that new residents get the most out of dorm life while they’re there. Let’s go over some of the most important considerations to make when it comes to flipping dorms at your educational institution.

Considerations to Make When Flipping Dorms

Prioritize Preventative Maintenance

It’s much easier to tackle repairs and renovations in between semesters than it is during the school year. Some issues are bound to occur when students are around, but the more you can do to minimize these problems, the better. As its name suggests, preventative maintenance is all about preventing potential problems so things go more smoothly in the long run – this includes tasks such as plumbing, HVAC inspections, painting, fireproofing, and much more.

Taking the time to assess and fortify every aspect of your campus’ dormitories pays dividends in multiple ways. For starters, you’ll save time and money, reducing the number of dorm repairs you’ll have to invest in later on. Additionally, you’ll provide students with better-looking, safer living quarters. As it relates to HVAC systems, preventative maintenance also boosts a dormitory’s indoor air quality, which benefits all occupants throughout the school year. Preventative maintenance also increases operational efficiency and extends the lifespans of key assets, such as furniture, flooring, electronics, plumbing fixtures, and so on.

Deep Clean and Refinish Floors

All dorm surfaces should be cleaned during the flipping process. That said, dorm floors deserve special attention. The floors throughout a dormitory building receive constant use by students, day and night. Even if you maintain strong commercial cleaning protocols all year long, no amount of regular cleaning will eliminate all the dirt and debris that makes its way along and inside these surfaces. Once every resident has left the building, your cleaning crew will have the time and space to perform necessary deep floor cleaning to kill germs, remove dirt, and restore appearances.

The methods of floor cleaning performed will depend on the floor type and material. Hard floors may require stripping and waxing, burnishing, tile and grout restoration, scrubbing, and refinishing, whereas carpeted floors often need steam cleaning, shampooing, and powerful vacuuming. Tackling this deep floor care in between every semester will keep dorms sanitary and looking their best while also extending floor longevity.

Invest in Key Enhancements

As time goes on, facility maintenance and repair efforts might not be as effective in certain areas as they once were. Indeed, while strong maintenance protocols keep key assets around for a longer time, nothing lasts forever. On top of that, change is sometimes necessary to keep your campus and its dormitories modern and appealing to incoming students. With that in mind, renovations and replacements also fall under the purview of dorm flipping, even if they don’t occur as frequently as the other tasks mentioned so far. These enhancements include such things as floor replacement, blind replacement, painting (i.e., changing interior colors), new furniture installation, lighting changes, appliance replacements, etc.

Investing in dorm enhancements like these will bring new life to your campus living quarters, going above and beyond any run-of-the-mill dorm flip. Providing updated dorm facilities doesn’t just make life better for current students, either – it also helps attract prospective students who plan on spending their first year(s) of school on campus. New features are also easier to maintain than older ones, generally speaking, so these investments reduce the burden on your cleaning and maintenance staff, too.

Don’t Neglect Disinfection

Any facility that’s filled with people 24/7 is bound to be riddled with germs. Our awareness of these matters has only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. And while there’s no way to stamp out all of these microorganisms living inside dormitories, it’s important to thoroughly clean and disinfect surfaces in between semesters to minimize the spread of harmful pathogens. Professional disinfection services can efficiently sterilize and protect surfaces with methods like antimicrobial barrier technology – this nanotechnology clings to surfaces for as long as 90 days at a time via electrical charge and kills 99.9% of germs on contact. Providing dorm surfaces with this technology will greatly reduce the spread of contagious diseases like COVID-19, influenza, and the common cold.

Students should also do their best to keep their personal spaces sanitary throughout the year. You can help residents stay safe and healthy by placing hand sanitizer stations and EPA-registered disinfectants at key locations.

Flip It Good

The condition and cleanliness of your campus facilities makes a major difference when it comes to student success, school reputation, and long-term cost savings. Though dormitories aren’t the only places that require close attention between semesters, they cannot be overlooked. When it’s time to flip your school’s dorms, focus on preventative maintenance, floor cleaning, key enhancements, and disinfection solutions. The Budd Group has the resources and experience to help with all these dorm flipping needs and more. To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!