15 Dorm Room Must Haves

For many students, heading off to college to live in a dorm room is the first time being away from parents in their lives.

Heading to college to live on campus among other students has its benefits. You get to eat what you want and when you want, you can take a nap in your room and not be bothered by people trying to wake you up. On the other side of things, there are a lot of adult responsibilities that you must learn when away at college. If you have the right stuff, life in a dorm can be great.

Ear Plugs Can Give You the Peace You Desire

Hopefully, you won’t have an unruly roommate that keeps you up all night. That doesn’t stop others from partying late at night, playing loud music, or being obnoxious. When you want to study or sleep, and you need some peace, rather than asking others to keep quiet, some ear plugs can give you the peace you desire.

A Lap Desk Can be a Huge Help

Some dorm rooms are so small that you can’t get to your desk easily, or you need to have the desk situated for other items in your room. A lap desk gives you the perfect place to put your books, notes, and computer so that you can study efficiently. Find one that’s fun, and enjoy the comfort of sitting on your bed with your notes in front of you.

Community Bathrooms Mean You Need a Bathroom Caddy

Even though most newer dorm buildings have bathrooms built for each room or shared between two rooms, not all of them offer this benefit. If you have a community bathroom that you’ll have to use, a bath caddy is the way to go. This item can carry all your stuff so that you can easily head to the bathroom to shower and prepare for the day.

Shower Shoes Area Must-Have Item

Even if you share a bathroom with only your roommate, a pair of shower shoes or slides can make your dorm room more enjoyable. These are perfect when you need to use the community shower or when you want to go down the hall at night and don’t want to put a pair of socks and shoes on. All you need to do is put these shoes on, and your feet can be protected from fungus.

A Hanging Shoe Storage System Has Many Purposes

Even if you only have a couple of pairs of shoes and don’t need a full shoe caddy for your footwear, these hanging shoe storage items make great places for small items. You can store snacks, toiletries, or other small items in them and know they’ll be out of the way.

You Need a Hamper for Your Dirty Clothes

One of the most important skills you’ll learn at college is how to keep your dorm room neat and clean. A hamper is a great place for you to put your dirty clothes before it’s time for you to do laundry. If you come from a home where your parents picked up after you, this will be a huge wake-up call.

A Small Toolkit can be Great at College

You don’t need power tools, but you might want to have a small kit with a hammer and a couple of screwdrivers. You never know when something will need to be tightened, and this kit can come in very handy when that time comes.

You’ve Got to Have Extension Cords at College

Where are the outlets in your dorm room? If they are located in inconvenient places, you’ll want to have some extension cords to make sure you can plug in, charge up, and power the devices you need to. Some extension cords can turn one outlet into six, which is a big help to modern students.

Where Will You Keep All Your Stuff?

Even though most colleges offer a wall locker or some furniture for you to use, it’s important you have places where you can keep some items under your bed. The space under your bed should be where you store items you don’t use every day. Thankfully, there are under-bed storage containers that are easy to find and give you the added storage you need.

You Will Need an Alarm Clock; Not Just Your Phone

Ask the professors of early morning classes how many students sleep through alarms. You need more than one alarm in your dorm room which means you have at least one separate alarm to wake you up when you sleep through your phone alarm. This is important to ensure you get up and get to class when you need to.

Get the Right Cleaning Products

Your parents aren’t coming to your college to clean your room, which means you need the cleaning products that will get the job done. Anti-bacterial wipes are excellent for cleaning surfaces and can be the right way for you to get things cleaned up when you’re away at college.

Everyone in College Need a Mini Fridge

Some dorms are now equipped with full communal kitchens, especially those that have four rooms off of the main living areas. While these kitchens have full-size refrigerators, there might be some items you want to keep in your mini fridge. Buy one of these before your Freshman year, and it will last through graduation with ease.

An Electric Kettle Could be a Big Help

It’s a longstanding joke that college students live on ramen noodles. While you probably don’t have to do this, if the cafeteria is closed and you want to cook a quick soup in your dorm room, an electric kettle can be the right item. This is also a great device for making hot drinks in the winter.

Laundry Detergent Might be New to You

Here’s one of those wonderful adult items that you must have when you’re at college. Your parents aren’t going to clean your clothes for you, and you’ve got to have laundry detergent to get your clothes clean. Be sure you know how to do your laundry before you head off to college.

Bring Your Headphones to College

There will be times you want to listen to music in your dorm room or want to watch a show while your roommate sleeps. Be a good roommate and use a set of headphones during this time. You might even want to wear them when you study instead of the earplugs, but you might be going back and forth between the two items.

There are just a few of the things you need in your dorm room when you head off to college. Good luck with your journey.