When you are leaving your home to make a new home in a dorm room, there are a few things you will need. What do you really need to make your dorm your new home? This post contains useful dorm items. A few items are not absolute needs, but would be very handy. This list does not contain any items that would be desirable, but not are not useful like decor.
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You need bedding – sleep is important
Most dorm rooms will supply you with an extra long twin bed. If you already have this type of bed at home, then you can just use you current bedding. The only problem with that idea is that you will not have any bedding when you return home for breaks. Therefore, it is best to pick up a new set of bedding for your dorm room. Better yet, pick up some zip on sheets. They are easy to change on bunk beds.
Here is a list of bedding essentials:
- XL Twin sheets
- Zip on Sheets – perfect for easy sheet changes on bunks
- XL Twin mattress pad
- XL Twin mattress protector (to protect you from the mattress and the previous students sweat and dust)
- XL Twin Comforter
- XL Twin blanket (optional)
- XL Twin Mattress topper (optional for more comfort)
- Pillow
Dorm Bathroom Essentials
Hygiene is very important. The type of bathroom you have will determine what you need. If you have a traditional bathroom, a shared community bathroom down the hall, then this is the list of essentials:
- Shower caddy
- Small bottles for shampoo and other toiletries (Keep the large bottles in your room, then refill the small bottles for daily use.)
- Shower shoes (these will protect you from athletes foot and plantar warts.)
- Bath towel with a hook loop (The hook loop will make it easier to find a place to hang it up in your room. Alternatively, you could use a hanger with clips.)
If your dorm room is suite style, meaning you share a bathroom with a roommate or suite mate you will need the following items:
- Bath mat (This will help keep your bathroom floor clean a dry.)
- Bathroom cleaning supplies, toilet bowl cleaner, toilet brush, glass cleaner, shower cleaner, mop and bucket, etc…
- Over the toilet self for extra storage.
- Shower head shelf hanger (Most dorm room showers do not have much storage space for shampoo and other shower needs. I’m sure you don’t want to store your shampoo on the floor! Gross!)
- Bath towel set
- Toilet paper, in a suite style dorm you may have to supply your own.
- Hand soap
Find this college dorm medication list here.
Space Saving and Storage Essentials
What could be more useful in a small dorm space than space saving storage items? Here are some suggestions.
- space saving hangers
- Hangers
- storage bins (a plastic storage bin is also a great place to store your wet bathroom caddy)
- command strips and hooks
- Folding bunk self -Great for easy access to an alarm clock and a bottle of water.
- Bedside caddy – A space saving nightstand alternative.
- Door organizer
- Hanging closet self
- Under bed storage bins – great for off season clothing and extra toiletries.
- Mini fridge caddy organizer – hangs over your mini fridge providing storage pockets.
- Bathroom self for a fridge and microwave – Genius idea for a mini dorm kitchen.
Dorm room technology needs
I’m sure you have selected a laptop and maybe even a tablet to take with you. Here are some other tech items you may have forgotten. We forgot the cordless mouse batteries.
- Ethernet cable (make sure it is long enough to reach the ethernet connection.)
- Power strip
- Cordless mouse
- Batteries for the cordless mouse (this is an item we forgot)
- Charging station
- Cord control clips
- Noise cancelling headphones with mic
Dorm laundry essentials
- Collapsible hamper
- Tide pods
- Laundry stain remover spray
- Wrinkle releaser spray or a Portable clothing steamer (Look your best for that internship interview.)
- Dryer sheets or balls
College dorm school supplies
In elementary school and often in high school, teachers will supply students with a list of school supplies they will need for the upcoming year. Once you reach college, you are on your own. Since you are leaving home it does help to have a list of the most common school supply items you will need in college. Keep in mind, you may have last minute schedule changes.
We ended up forgetting more things in this category than any other category. The lab coat was not packed, but needed due to a last minute schedule change. It’s much cheaper to pack one, just incase. We also forgot the graphing calculator and extra batteries for it. The most ridiculous thing we forgot was #2 pencils. I mistakenly assumed they were old school, and no longer needed for testing. I was wrong.
Assuming you already have a laptop, this is a comprehensive list of the other school supplies most college students will require.
Dorm room food prep basics
Even if you have a full meal plan there may be times that you will need to prepare small meals in your room. You may have to leave for a break before the dining hall opens, or maybe return from a sporting event after the dining hall closes. Be prepared!
- Coffee maker
- Microwave
- Mini Fridge
- Microwavable food storage
- small cutlery set
- can opener
- dish soap and a bottle bush – keep that water bottle and coffee mug clean.
- Coffee mug
- Water bottle
Other useful dorm room items
- Small vacuum
- Water filter pitcher
- Small security safe or hiding container for valuables
- Reading pillow
- Desk lamp
- Alarm clock
- Garbage can and bags (we forgot the bags, ugg.)
- Clip on fan
- Basic tool kit – Be the helpful neighbor with all the useful stuff.
- All purpose cleaner + paper towels or Clorox wipes
- Boot mat for dirty shoes and boots.
- Moving bags – Wish I thought of that earlier.
Medications and first aid items for dorm rooms
Be sure to check out Pharmacist recommended College dorm medications for a list of medications and first aid items you should pack for your dorm. Be prepared!
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