21 Dorm Room Essentials That Freshmen Really Shouldn’t Live Without

Going to college is scary because, for many, it’ll be the first time that they’re living away from their parents. It’ll also be the first time that they have to furnish their own home—even if that home is a tiny dorm room. To make moving away for college a little less overwhelming, it’d be wise to be as prepared as possible. One of the most time-consuming tasks leading up to your university journey is figuring out exactly what you need to make university housing your new home. To take some of the work off your plate, we rounded up the best dorm room essentials.

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Our goal is to make the high-school-senior-to-first-year-college-student transition as seamless as possible. To that end, you’ll see that our list has products across alllllll the categories—including bathroom, bedding, kitchen, and studying. Within those groups, you’ll see more than a dozen products that we think will make your life easier. For instance, many dorm rooms don’t have any cabinet space in the bathroom. A caddy with a handle and different cubbies for all of your shower products would no doubt be worth the investment.

Keep reading for our official list of the 21 best dorm room essentials.

Best Dorm Bathroom Essentials

Toilet Paper: Who Gives a Crap 100% Bamboo Toilet Paper (Poetry Edition) , $34 (originally $44) for 24 rolls
Robe : Berkshire Homewear Wellsoft Shawl Collar Robe , $40 (was $48)
Shower Caddy: Room Essentials Mesh Shower Caddy , $8
Shower Sandals: LM Shower Slippers , $13

Best Bedding & Sleep Dorm Essentials

Sheets: Lux Decor Bedding Sheets , $29 for Twin XL
Mattress Topper: Linenspa Gel-Infused Memory Foam Mattress Topper , $59
Bed Rest Pillow: Nestl Reading Pillow , $38
Sleeping Mask: Lulusilk Store Mulberry Silk Sleep Eye Mask , $10

Best Laundry Dorm Essentials

Hamper: Household Essentials Rolling Pop-Up Hamper , $37

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Best Kitchen Dorm Essentials

Microwave: Insignia Compact Microwave , $50 (was $80)
Mini Fridge: Frigidaire Mini Fridge With Built-In Freezer , $200 (was $265)
Hot Pot: Dezin Electric Hot Pot With Steamer , $40
Water Filter: Brita Metro Water Filter Pitcher , $20

Best Storage & Desk Dorm Essentials

Under-Bed Storage: Amazon Basics Under-Bed Storage Container Bags , $15
Calendar: U Brands Undated 18-Month Desktop Calendar , $10
Stationery Organizer: Marbrasse Organizer With Drawers , $10
Power Strip: Mifaso Power Strip Surge Protector , $15

Best Dorm Decor Essentials

String Lights: Hxweiye String Lights With Photo Clips , $10

Best Studying Essentials

Noise-Canceling Headphones: Soundcore Anker Life Noise-Canceling Headphones , $55
Lap Desk: Amaredom Desk and Tray Bed Table , $40
Backpack: The North Face Women’s Jester Luxe Backpack , $80

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Who Gives a Crap? and QVC are STYLECASTER sponsors, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

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Best Dorm Room Essentials