So my daughter spent her first year in a traditional college dorm, with one roommate and a shared bathroom down the hall for her floor. From experience, these are some of the items we actually purchased (or similar) and how they were helpful to her living away from home.
There are definitely some essentials, essentials you didn't know you need, but you do, and then luxury items. Everyone's personal preference comes into play here, so take what you need and leave the rest. Hopefully, this will make your dorm experience the very best!
5 Items You Can't Live Without
🤍 Personal Garment Steamer - this is something you may not know you need, BUT you will use this everyday for everything from t-shirts to dresses. So easy to plug in, steam and go!
🤍 3-4" Mattress Topper - trust me on this one. The pillow toppers just won't do. It must be the 3-4" thickness. You will sleep like a dream!
🤍 Table Fan - depending on the dorm room, the temperature can't always be controlled, so it's nice to get some air flow. According to all the college parent pages, "woozoo" is the brand to get.
🤍 Lighted Vanity Mirror - the lighting an access to a mirror can be questionable in dorm rooms. With this baby, all your problems are solved!
🤍 Shower Caddy - there's no getting around lugging your shower stuff to and fro, but this makes it easier.
The Rest of It
🤍 Power Strip with USB Chargers - this was great for plugging in all of the items such as fan, mirror, lamps and computer.
🤍 Shower Caddy Drying Mat - o.k., so this is technically for drying dishes on the counter, but it can be put on the floor underneath where the shower caddy will hang when back in the dorm room so the floor doesn't get wet.
🤍 Command Strips Variety Pack - these will hang fairy lights, posters, bath towel, purse hook, etc.
🤍 Rotating Turntable Organizer - lotions, sprays, etc. go on this on the counter to keep everything at bay.
🤍 Bedside Shelf - this actually hooks to the bed and fills the space that may be in between the bed and the wall. It's sort of like a mini nightstand. Great spot to put water cup, hair ties, phone, etc.
🤍 Vacuum - the rooms get DIRTY! Hopefully your child will use this.
🤍 Air Purifier - not a necessity by any means, but for an old dorm room with poor
circulation, it made a BIG difference. And, it doubled as a white noise machine.
It sort of made the room feel like a little happy cocoon.
🤍 Laundry Hamper - total personal preference here. This one has the removable bag, so you can pull it out, carry your clothes like Santa to the laundry room. Being rectangular shaped, it fits nicely in a closet or corner. The hamper itself is collapsible and foldable.
🤍 Velvet Hangers - are these bougie? Yes. Are the practical? Yes. They actually save space and when the closets are teeny, tiny, these help a lot.
🤍 Standing Floor Lamp with second reading lamp - each roommate had one of these and it provided extra lighting on their side of the room when needed. Being able to turn just the reading lamp on was great when one roommate was sleeping and the other staying up.
The Obvious
There are many more items that are obvious and so specific to each person moving into their dorm room. These are merely suggestions:
Shower shoes, pillows, bath towels, bedding, storage containers of all kinds, mini-fridge, microwave, shelf liner, lamps, posters, etc.
And "The More"
At The University of Alabama, decorating the dorm room is no joke. From what I saw in other rooms, the following is a true story.
Color Scheme - first of all, the roommates decide on a color scheme. My daughter and her roommate decided on white bedding and then each could add their own color. My daughter chose pink accents and her roommate chose blue. The accents were in the form of pillows and blankets. Dormify has some super cute decor.
Lofted beds - most dorm beds can be raised either by a work order or someone handy. This was so nice because it allowed for extra storage underneath. Luggage, drawer organizers for food, sweaters, supplies, etc., all went under the bed. Two things with lofted beds:
Extra long bedskirt - this can be a challenge to find, but hides all of the items underneath and gives a clean, finished look.
Ottoman - the bed is now so high that you need a stool to get in and out of bed.
Headboards...matching headboards - yes, you heard me right. I said headboards. Almost every dorm room we saw, the girls had headboards. Super not a necessity, but does make the room cozy.
Lighting - twinkle lights, LED lights, and lamps contribute to a homey and calm environment.
Area Rug - with the flooring being old industrial tile, having a warm area rug is comforting and also absorbs noise.
Stores
Buying ahead of time and online is preferred. Amazon Prime Day is your best friend. Every store near the school will be completely picked over unless you hit it just right. However, they are very well stocked for the items you need and most of the prices are good.
Target, WalMart, Bed Bath and Beyond and Home Goods are the go-to's as inevitably, you will forget things. Any store where you can order ahead of time and then pick it up at the local store is also a good bet.
These are exciting times! Enjoy the journey and the decorating!
Heads Up: We do receive an affiliate fee from Amazon when readers click over to their website from ours. This just helps keep our website running. These are all items we ourselves have purchased and like or similar items.
Thank you Chaunte! Such great recommendations! Roll Tide!