We all tend to overbuy for college and the truth is, you don’t need all that much for your college dorm. But you will use these ten college dorm essentials every day. These are the must-have essentials you need for your college dorm. No matter what type of dorm room you have, these items will come in handy and help keep you organized.
A few years ago, I was the living embodiment of the mom in this Onion article, standing in the middle of Bed, Bath and Beyond insisting to my daughter that she absolutely needed bed risers and the under-the-bed shoe storage bin. (She didn’t and she ended up not using half of the stuff I thrust on her during that shopping trip.)
It’s too late for me, but if you’re planning to send a child away to college this fall, there’s still time to save some money for yourself. I’ve created a list of all the things you need to know about your kid’s dorm room before you buy a single thing but after sending three kids off to college I’ve discovered that these items are almost universally needed.
I interviewed my kids (mostly my daughter since her college experience is the freshest) and came up with a list of essential items you’ll need when you go away to college. Don’t forget to check out my post 25 Questions You Need to Answer Before You Shop Before College so you can decide what else you’ll need beyond this list.
College Essentials You Have to Have
This handy lamp provides concentrated task lighting and customizable color and brightness levels while charging your phone via the USB port or wireless charger. It also has a timer so it can shut off after 60 minutes and offers a nightlight feature. The small footprint of this lamp is handy on college dorm desks which typically don’t have a lot of space.
You guys, how amazing is this over the door cabinet with full-length mirror? Dorm rooms just don’t seem to understand that people want to see their whole outfit from time to time and this mirror easily hangs on the door so it doesn’t take up additional space AND provides tons of storage.
It’s got 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon and the reviews are positively glowing like this one:
GIFT TO MY DAUGHTER! THE GORGEOUS FLATTERING MIRROR AND THE AMPLE STORAGE SPACE INSIDE IS SO PERFECT FOR ALL THE SMALL THINGS THAT TEND TO LAY AROUND. I RECEIVED IT IN JUST A FEW DAYS AND MY DAUGHTER IS STILL THANKING ME! GREAT PRODUCT, GREAT SERVICE
When they go low (by providing very little storage space), we go high (up on the wall). There’s pretty much nothing you can’t do with command hooks: hang a shelf, hang curtains, hang pictures on the wall, provide a place for backpacks, purses, coats and curling irons. You’re going to need (and use) a ton of these guys.
My daughter and her roommate used these to organize a variety of miscellaneous items in their drawers: school supplies, make-up, first aid supplies, etc. Clear shoe boxes are cheaper than specialized storage containers and tend to fit in tight spaces more easily.
If your dorm room doesn’t provide options for under bed storage (some do!), then you definitely don’t want to waste the space under the bed. My daughter liked these storage cubes for storing bed linens, towels, sweaters, and miscellaneous items such as laundry detergent because the cubes weren’t so wide as to be unwieldy and they were easy to slide in and out from under the bed.
The laundry needs to get done now and then, whether it’s in a laundromat on campus or at home in Mom’s washing machine. This roomy backpack laundry basket can easily carry a large amount of dirty clothes and be quickly stored on a hook out of the way.
It's inevitable. Your child will get sick during their first semester away and they’ll probably get a blister or small cut at least once as well. When that happens, they’ll be glad to have this comprehensive first aid kit with all the essentials on hand. Includes medicine for allergies, upset stomach, and ibuprofen as well as an assortment of bandages.
Sometimes it’s just easier to sit on your bed to study. With this laptop desk, your student can work on schoolwork anywhere. Includes a slot for phone storage and an adjustable surface so your student can work in comfort.
College dorms are loud and sometimes you just need to tune out the world and relax or work on schoolwork. These noise-canceling headphones are value-priced at under $40 and have a 4.3 star rating on Amazon. I have these headphones myself and frequently use them to cancel out the noise of the television on those nights when my husband wants to watch TV in bed and I want to read. They work great.
Everything has to be charged today: phone, laptop, headphones, watch, you name it. But college dorm rooms typically only have a few outlets. This surge protector provides 6 extra outlets and 6 USB charging ports so you can easily charge all your devices at once.
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These are some very helpful items! Luckily my oldest daughter was frugal when she went to UCLA for four years. BTW, I have that exact lamp from Target sitting on my desk. Very handy!
My daughter loves that lamp so much! I’m going to have to get one for myself.
Great list! My oldest is heading off to college this fall, and we’re still trying to figure out what she’ll need. Her dorm is older, but all the rooms are different. Some have underbed storage, some don’t. All are small so we’re working on a good list of essentials. This post is a great help!
PS Love your blog! I read so many “new mom” blogs, it’s wonderful to see something from an older mom perspective!
Thanks for commenting Jodi. It’s so hard to know what to buy the first year. My daughter’s in a new dorm this year so well be needing to make some new decisions again. Command hooks seem to always apply at least!