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The excitement and nerves of newly gained independence is thrilling, but creating a college dorm room packing list is overwhelming. As you prepare for move-in day, we’ve rounded up the top dorm room essentials that every college student needs. Consider this the ultimate college packing list that will make college dorm room living a breeze from freshman year all the way through graduation.
Bedding
1. Linenspa All-Season down alternative quilted comforter
Dorm room essentials: Linenspa All-Season down alternative quilted comforter
Getting a good night's sleep is essential to Freshman year success. The Linenspa All-Season down alternative quilted comforter gives even stiff mattresses an extra edge of comfort. It's our pick for the best overall comforter because of its super soft exterior and the way it resists stains.
2. Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillow
Dorm room essentials: Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillow
A great set of pillows definitely ranks among college dorm essentials, whether you're slaying down to sleep, or simply reclining while studying. This set of Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillows is one of our favorite pillow sets out there because they're cozy, easy to clean, and well within any college student's budget.
3. Casper Sleep Comfy Mattress Topper
Dorm room essentials: Casper Sleep Comfy Mattress Topper
Casper makes excellent sleep accessories, and its mattress toppers are no outliers. It's got the competition beat on durability and supports many different sleep styles and positions, making it our pick for the best mattress topper on the market.
Bathroom essentials
4. Super absorbent panda bath mat
Dorm room essentials: Super absorbent panda bath mat
This bath mat wicks away moisture from your body when you hop out of the shower and dries much faster than traditional bath mats. It's also available in incredibly charming styles, including mats shaped like frogs, dogs, and pandas.
5. Kitsure shower caddy
Dorm room essentials: Kitsure shower caddy
Making the most of a small space is easy with the right storage solutions. The Kitsure shower caddy mounts to the wall of your shower, to hang up all your essential toiletries and shower time essentials. Its sleek modern design looks expensive, but it's super affordable since it comes with two shower caddies.
6. Mierting matte black bathroom accessories
Dorm room essentials: Mierting matte black bathroom accessories
This set of bathroom accessories doesn't compromise an ounce of function for form and will help remove clutter around a crowded bathroom sink. It comes with two soap dispensers, two storage containers, and a toothbrush holder.
Laundry essentials and storage
7. Dalykate laundry backpack
Dorm room essentials: Dalykate laundry backpack
Doing laundry shouldn't strike fear into the heart of college students, and with the right dorm room essentials, it doesn't have to be such a painful experience. The Dalykate backpack makes lugging laundry from the laundromat to your room easy as pie, and it's large enough to hold two to three loads of dirty clothes. It's even got an inner pocket to store a tablet, smartphone, or portable gaming console.
8. SimpleHouseware over the door hanging shoe organizer
Dorm room essentials: SimpleHouseware over the door hanging shoe organizer
Making great use of a small space like a college dorm room is easier if you have smart space-saving accessories like this hanging shoe organizer. It's made to store shoes but works equally well to organize everything from USB cables to random office supplies like pens, pencils, and sticky notes.
9. SONGMICS 43-inch folding storage ottoman bench
Dorm room essentials: SONGMICS 43-inch folding storage ottoman bench
Another way to make the most of a small space is by buying a piece of furniture that does double duty. This charming ottoman bench is hollow in the middle, to store everything from books, clothes, appliances, or anything else.
Kitchen and Food Essentials
10. Frigidaire Retro Mini Fridge
Dorm room essentials: Frigidaire Retro Mini Fridge one a green background.
College dorm living is up there with Korean beauty products when it comes to keeping the demand for mini fridges high. The Frigidaire Retro Mini Fridge is a fantastic and reliable machine, with its excellent temperature controls, roomy freezer, and retro-chef aesthetics. It will easily last from move-in day all the way through graduation, and years after.
11. Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer
Dorm room essentials: Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer
Hot plates and microwaves are so last century. The Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer is a pressure cooker, high-powered oven, and even a standard hot plate in one space-saving appliance. It's our favorite air fryer for its unmatched performance and versatility and is equally well-suited to making everyday meals to heating up freezer snacks for weekend guests.
12. Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Maker
Dorm room essentials: Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Maker
Coffee is essential for surviving college life, so making it shouldn't be a messy and annoying hassle. The Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Maker is one of our favorite single-serve coffee machines because of its low-profile, quick brewing, and easy upkeep. It's the kind of coffee machine that you can depend on for late-night study sessions, finals crunching, and for Monday hangovers.
13. Cosori electric gooseneck kettle
Dorm room essentials: Cosori electric gooseneck kettle
Having easy access to boiling water ranks high among college dorm room essentials. The Cosori electric gooseneck kettle heats up lightning-fast, and provides a clean pour, whether you're making a cup of tea or a cup of noodles, which makes it one of our favorite electric kettles.
Electronics
14. AUOPLUS 10ft power strip
Dorm room essentials: AUOPLUS 10ft power strip
A good power strip is a dorm room essential because limited space usually means limited wall outlets. The AUOPLUS 10ft power strip has five outlets that power up everything from computer monitors to televisions, and three USB ports to charge phones, gaming consoles, and every smart device under the sun.
15. Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones
Dorm room essentials: Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones
A great way to survive your first school year is something that can drown out the cumbersome noise of rowdy neighbors or fellow students who just can't keep it down in the library. The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones rank as the best headphones on the market, because of their unmatched noise-canceling capabilities, and amazing sound quality. They're great for listening to tunes while studying, or to bring extra immersion to streaming movies or even gaming.
16. AFROG multifunctional LED desk lamp
Dorm room essentials: AFROG multifunctional LED desk lamp
If you don't have a desk lamp on your college packing list, you'll be sorry once midterm week comes. The AFROG multifunctional LED desk lamp not only provides seven different levels of light, but it doubles as a wireless charger for Qi-compatible phones. It also has a spare USB port for other charging possibilities.
17. Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Dorm room essentials: Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Knowing how to relax is essential to academic success, and there are no better devices suited to weeknight cool-offs like the Roku Streaming Stick 4K. It's super easy to use with an intuitive remote and comes Dolby Vision and HDR ready, making it one of the best streaming devices. And because it's so small, you can take it to a fellow student's dorm, or on a holiday visit home.
Cleaning supplies
18. Tineco A10 Hero cordless vacuum cleaner
Dorm room essentials: Tineco A10 Hero cordless vacuum cleaner
You'd be surprised how much you can improve your quality of life with a good vacuum. The Tineco A10 Hero is one of our favorite cordless vacuums because of how quickly and easily it busts dust, in both standup and handheld modes. It's also much more affordable than other similarly powered vacuums.
19. OXO Good Grips Sweep & Swipe Laptop Cleaner
Dorm room essentials: OXO Good Grips Sweep & Swipe Laptop Cleaner
A great way to ensure that your pricey electronics lasts from freshman year through grad school is to keep it pristine. This double-sided brush sweeps dirt and dust from laptop and computer keyboards, smudges from televisions and monitors, and even polishes up tiny charging ports in all matter of electronic devices.
20. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
Dorm room essentials: Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
Messes big and small are no match for Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. This set comes with three packages comes with 75 wipes, to clean up accidental spills, or simply add a lustrous and clean glow to a dusty desktop.