College Dorm Items

Sending your child off to college is a big milestone, one filled with pride, excitement, and, understandably, a touch of worry. As a parent, watching your freshman head out into the world is both heartwarming and a little nerve-wracking. Amidst all the emotions, there's also the very practical task of making sure they’re set up for success in their new home away from home: the college dorm.

While dorm rooms are often small and simple, the right items can make them feel comfortable, functional, and even a little like home. Whether you're a planner who’s been collecting essentials for months or just now turning your attention to the checklist, this post has been requested by several friends. I've finally had time to sit down and make it happen. There are exhaustive lists all over the internet. This post is more of what worked for us. Undoubtedly, you will have your own list that are tweaking and adding to all summer long!

Excuse the blurred-out spot on the photo. This is one side of the room.

• The photos were hung with "claw" hangers that we found on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FR1Xg5. Many dorms do not allow holes in the wall, so check with your building. If you can't put holes, use Command hangers: https://amzn.to/4lr2jJT.

• The space between the two beds (in front of the window) fit this rack over the refrigerator. Found on Amazon: https://amzn.to/40l6pLf. On that rack, we used these shelf liners: https://amzn.to/46ROCz8

• This is the refrigerator found HERE.

• At the end of the bed, we used a heavy duty Command hook to hang the backpack, https://amzn.to/4lYjouP.

• The art on the wall were blown up images of Sports Illustrated covers. They were framed in frames from IKEA. We selected this because the frame has a plastic "glass" and felt it was safer for above the bed.

Under the bed. Note: The bed was not raised with anything special. But it was set on the highest setting that the frame would allow.

• Two of these wider 3-drawer containers fit: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-3-Drawer-Wide-Weave-Tower-Plastic-Espresso/49527350?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1100&from=/search

• One of these narrow 3-drawer containers fit: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-3-Drawer-Decorative-Plastic-Weave-Storage-Tower-2-Pack-Espresso/568719359?classType=REGULAR&from=/search

• One hard sided hamper: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mind-Reader-60L-Slim-Laundry-Hamper-Lid-Ventilated-Plastic-17-25-L-x-13-75-W-x-23-5-H-Brown/625910813?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1100&from=/search

***Even after these four items, there was still room under the bed. In fact, his luggage was back there with a few other things. Plus, you can see the narrow side table that was between the bed and wall (see below).

On the opposite side of the bed, squished next to the wall, we placed this skinny table. It had outlets built in it.

• He said this was an awesome addition and it took up almost no space. It was a good way to utilize the area. A great place for charging the phone each night, a fan, a box of tissues, etc. We found this on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4kK8NCK

  
  

The room comes with a desk, chair, and trash can for each person.

• You'll note the desks have no drawers. I bought this, but my son didn't add it to his desk: https://amzn.to/43OzmQJ

• The white storage stacked on top of each other and the boys put their snacks here. (This photo was on move in day before any grocery shopping had been done.): https://amzn.to/4jzPR8Z

• On this desk is a small "lift" for the monitor that has a drawer built in. It was found at IKEA, as seen HERE.

• We tried this on the desk but he felt the desk was too small for something like this: https://amzn.to/3GP4Y0U

• Make sure to supply the small size of trash can liners: https://amzn.to/45HvuU4

• The dry erase board came from IKEA, as seen HERE.

• The bulletin board came from IKEA, as seen HERE.

The over the door basketball hoop was a surprise we just left for the boys the day they moved in. They said they loved it and played with it all year.

• Over the door basketball hoop: https://amzn.to/44Sfo82

• Don't forget to give them a small air pump too, like this one: https://amzn.to/3IvKYRA

• When we visited throughout the year, the top of these armoires were filled with "stuff/junk." It could have been organized better at that point...so if you need more storage, consider this area on top. They are high though, so most kids would need a step stool to access a lot of things.

You will notice in this photo there are curtains in the room. My son wanted blackout if possible. There is some contradiction between literature if curtains are allowed. The building's maintenance manager can help you. The boys had several RA checks throughout the year and the curtains were never a problem.

• You do want to make sure the curtains don't touch the back of the refrigerator, especially if your unit has coils.

• Blackout curtains came from IKEA. All rooms will vary but you should make sure you know ahead of time what length to purchase.

• The curtains gave the room so much warmth (visually)!

• The building manager approved the curtains but did not want big holes for curtain rod, so we tried this tension rod and it worked great all year. We made sure it was REALLY tight the first day. On move-out day, I asked the boys if they opened and closed the curtains...they said, "EVERYDAY!" I asked if the rod ever fell and they said, "Not once!" I'm impressed by this tension rod from Target. THIS is the one we used.

This is the "kitchen area" in the suite. You'll notice it comes with a small refrigerator. But, no oven or stove or sink. EEK! So, even if your child doesn't have a kitchen in the dorm, you can set up a similar area. Our son used the air fryer a few times a week, so this was a perfect item. He would probably pick this over a microwave.

• We provided a full size trash can with the lid. Don't forget to send full size trash bags.

• The magnetic board on the wall is from IKEA, as seen HERE.

• We added heavy duty magnetic hooks to the magnetic board so they had a place to hang their dish towels: https://amzn.to/4jF7ynF

• The boys all split up who was going to bring things like an AirFryer, hot plate, microwave, and ice maker. Watch for sales all summer. We got that AirFryer at Best Buy for $30! It worked great! Also, make sure you know what your dorm allows and what it does not allow in terms of appliances.

• These liners for the airfryer made for easier clean up: https://amzn.to/44WZLfJ

• The shelving unit gave more space and those appliances took up the counter space quickly. We found it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4jGrOVU

• The hot plate also came from Amazon. It was approved for this dorm area: https://amzn.to/3FuSHOO

• Under the hot plate is a heat resistance mat: https://amzn.to/4kZtpYe

• There is a small, cylinder type Dustbuster in the photo. But it broke quickly after move-in, so I won't share the link as there must be a better quality out there.

• Next to the Airfryer is a plastic drawer with Airfryer liners. On top of that is a small, plastic carrying tray. It came from the Dollar Section of Target. It has sponges, brushes, and Dawn soap in it so they could take it to the sink in their bathroom or down to the common space of the dorm easily to do dishes.

Another angle of the "kitchen area" that was shown above.

• By the front door is a large basket for the boys to put their shoes. This basket came from Home Goods.

• a welcome mat: https://amzn.to/45JmPQT

• a cordless vacuum (there was power there so it could charge): https://amzn.to/4jzSd7P

• What you can't see is that on the opposite side of the wall where the kitchen is, we added a key hanger with four hooks so each boy had a place for their keys. This dorm operates with a fob, so they do have to carry a keychain of sorts: https://amzn.to/43xL5UL

The beginning

The dorm looked like this when we arrived, so we had a lot of work to do. The very first thing we did was wiped everything down with a Clorox, Tide, and water mixture. I packed a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot, the supplies, rags, trash bags, and rubber gloves. We got to work. Honestly, the dorm needed this level of cleaning. You can watch a video about why to clean with these items and the "recipe" HERE.

Next, we made the bed. You will see lots of thoughts about what a bed needs. Of course, start by finding out what size bed your child will have. He had a twin XL in his dorm. Here is what we did: 1. Non-slip rug pad- placing this on the mattress before the topper helps to keep the topper from sliding: https://amzn.to/44yTqbn

2. Mattress topper - these will vary hugely in price. I felt like it would be used one year and then done, especially if they plan on moving into an apartment (i.e. different size bed), so we picked a lower cost one: https://amzn.to/456agyp

3. Mattress encasement - https://amzn.to/4m1vFyt

4. Mattress pad cover - https://amzn.to/40lZSQq

5. Sheets, blankets, comforter - This is the comforter. He ended up not using an XL comforter and it seemed to be fine: https://amzn.to/4nS76Wv

6. Add a throw blanket like this (several colleges to choose from here): https://amzn.to/40l3phX

   
   

Below is a list of some other items we found helpful for the dorm:

1. If you follow any page about college move in, you've probably heard about how great these bags are: https://amzn.to/44Rj89I

2. Power Strip with Surger Protector: https://amzn.to/4lvvcVg

3. The boys had a shower in their suite, so these were great for their body wash and shampoo: https://amzn.to/44RufQ2

4. To our surprise, he went on a few trips via a plane during his freshmen year. This was the luggage set we sent to school and it got use! https://amzn.to/3GPQm1h

5. His suite had a bathroom and this towel rack worked great. It could be sized to narrow or wide. We made it fit into the space perfectly at set up and then tightened it: https://amzn.to/3TJmkPW

6. A rubber mallet comes in handy on move-in day, especially if you are trying to change the height of the bed frame: https://amzn.to/44yLaIl

7. We sent a poker set. This was a great way for him to get to know his dorm neighbors. They would often get together to play poker: https://amzn.to/44SAHXc

8. Desk lamp: https://amzn.to/44znmUH

9. Medicine Kit. You can purchase them pre-made but I made our own. Bandaids, assortment of medications, thermometer, etc.

10. I also made a school supply kit with things like a stapler, staples, pencils, pens, highlighters, glue, etc. He said he never used it. Ha!

11. You will want slim clothes hangers as the closets are usually not that big: https://amzn.to/469O33B

12. Fan for next to the bed. You will read about all kinds of popular brands. We found ours at Costco.

13. I've heard mixed reviews of kids using a Brita. Our son used his everyday. He loved having cold, filtered water in his refrigerator: https://amzn.to/44AjFOH

14. Backpack for class - along with iPad, computer, etc that is needed for their classes.

15. Towels and sheets are a personal thing and the kids should know from home what they like. If you are living in a humid place, try to find a thinner towel. Also, wash them ahead of time for several reasons, but one being that you want to get that initial lint off before it gets all over the load in college.

This is a fun kit to send after you leave. Order it on your drive home from move-in day. They will have it fast! https://amzn.to/3ICeRzD

This list is not exhaustive, just things we found to be helpful. My best advice is don't stress. Lean into the process, enjoy it, and remember you can send things from Amazon after move-in day!

*Some of the above links may be affiliate links.