Roommates can now communicate before move-in to create a shared list and assign common items—no need for duplicates like multiple toilet brushes.
Did you know dorm mailrooms may accept Amazon deliveries before move-in? Check with your housing department to confirm the correct mailing address, as it may differ from the main mailroom. Most mailrooms hold packages for 2–5 days, so you can coordinate purchases and delivery timing ahead of move-in.
This page shows my favorite items that are well used by my daughter and her roommates in her first year of college.
Kitchen Items: A mini refrigerator is typically allowed to either rent from school or to bring on your own. Some schools rent them as a part of housing as well. One of the roommates brought the Midea fridge with freezer but it was not enough for three girls. So we brought in our drink fridge from home and luckily, they had enough space they now have enough space. We put a microwave above the fridge and on the side of the metal refrigerator wall, placed Space Rack and put Standley water bottles and other mugs. The magnetic spice rack is pretty strong to hold 3 big water bottles. The magnetic paper towel holder can be put next to the metal closet wall. There was no ice machine in the dorm building (not a hotel!), and kids wanted it for summer days to make their own matcha drinks and it’s well used.
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Living Area: To keep shared spaces clean, it’s highly recommended that students agree on a common-area cleaning schedule, including weekly vacuuming, emptying garbage bins, and bathroom cleaning. I find this the most challenging. 😉
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Bathroom Area: The slim three-tier cart is such a game changer. In a three-person room, each person can have their own tier for personal items. I also find an under-the-sink organizer extremely helpful for maximizing storage for things like pads, eye solution, and other essentials. To start the year prepared, each roommate brought six rolls of toilet paper and one roll of paper towels, giving them extra supplies. We also can’t live without a shower squeegee—it’s a family habit and one of the best ways to keep the shower area fresh, odor-free, and mold-free.
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Dishwash/Laundry Supplies: A straw-cleaning brush is essential for cleaning water bottles in tight spaces and preventing unpleasant odors. My daughter is still learning how to wash dishes properly without a dishwasher, so this has been especially helpful. Don’t forget to pack a dish towel, as students will most likely wash dishes in their bathroom sink—another good reason to keep that area clean! As for wrinkle-release spray, it works surprisingly well on blouses and dress shirts.
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Bed items: My daughter’s favorite item is the WallShelfie and BedShelfie. The WallShelfie, mounted near her pillow with removable 3M tape, lets her keep a cup of water, glasses, phone charger, and retainer within easy reach. A foam mattress topper adds extra comfort, but I’ve included it in the ‘fancy-to-have’ section below. A reading light is a must to keep their eyes healthy when they are either scrolling or read books.
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Desk Area: A pegboard is a great way to keep multiple items organized and off the work-station. I found a used IKEA pegboard set for $20 and mounted it on the bunk bed frame next to her desk. The pegboard shown here can be mounted directly on a desk, but you should find out dorm bunk bed setup in advance to plan where and how it will be installed. I also love the laptop stand that can fold easily and does not take lots of space in the tiny desk space.
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Closet Area: The under-cabinet light has been incredibly helpful when set to motion-sensor mode. When my daughter opens her closet, the light turns on automatically, making it much easier to find things—especially when she can’t turn on the room light. It’s rechargeable (no batteries needed) and comes with a magnetic plate, so it’s easy to remove and recharge.
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Cooking Items: My daughter loves cooking and makes what she can in her room, from yogurt parfaits and cereal to ramen, and occasionally fries eggs in the shared dorm kitchen—so she needs most basic cooking items. We filled the spice jar for her with chia seeds, salt, cinnamon powder, and etc. It will be fun to grab these with kids at TJ Max together.
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Health Items: When she developed a rash, I realized I had forgotten to pack Benadryl for her. Thankfully it wasn’t serious and went away and I was able to give it to her when she came to visit. For those who lives far away from college, Amazon Prime is the way to go and they should be easily purchased on campus.
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Room Organizer / Odor Control: Kids agree to put a small white board on the door to communicate with each other quickly as they come in and out of the room. In our college in Washington, shoes get wet so having a shoe dryer that kids can share is essential. Let’s keep the stinky shoes away! And the Air Wick helps so much to plug one in near the entrance door where everyone’s shoes are in the shoe rack. It rains a lot here in Washington, so a coat rack will help with drying their raincoats and umbrella. We know how stinky the wet umbrella gets pretty quickly. Also, I find these plastic drawers work best for storing general items—like using one small bin for a first-aid kit and medications, another for extra makeup and hair items, plus space for socks, snacks, and similar essentials. I actually found used plastic drawers on FB. Some shallow plastic drawers can actually fit inside the closet and on top, which is great for organizing tons of items like gloves/beanies, belts and more.
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Under the bunk space curtain: At times, my daughter wanted a bit more privacy—whether for late-night studying when lights should be turned off for her roommates, changing her clothes when bathroom is being used, or just having some quiet space—so I wanted to put up a curtain for her. I bought a long bed skirt because the other kitchen window curtains were too short and regular curtains were too heavy. It comes in 3 sides so I cut the long length off and used two sides. Each side had a slit so it worked very well. I had to install a thin curtain rail under the bunk’s ceiling frame to make a curtain. I secured the rail with a removable double-sided tape, and it was secure and the curtain rail works well. The rail comes with a saw blade so that you can cut depending on the size of the bunkbed frame. This worked well because the bunk bed was a metal frame and the height of the open space under the bunk bed was 60 inches so the 60-inch bed skirt for twin bed works perfectly. She absolutely loves having this option to close the curtain although it’s open most of the time and she ties it. I like Shreem brand linen because it is wrinkle resistant and pretty light weight. They also have a shorter length and different colors.
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Moving Necessities: For kids moving far from home, these blue packing bags are lightweight but hold so much. And the Gorilla folding cart—our everyday wagon for outdoor and sports activities—was a total lifesaver on move-in day. I was so grateful to have it when we hauled her things up to the 6th floor.
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Fancy items to have: Sharing a bathroom doesn’t always leave time to do your hair and makeup, so my daughter wanted a separate mirror and chose this one to put near her work station. The first lighted mirror arrived with a charging issue, but the replacement works perfectly and she uses it all the time. The adjustable makeup organizer has been a big help too. One of her roommates brought an air purifier, and they placed it on top of the shoe rack right by the door. The memory foam mattress topper was definitely a “fancy-to-have,” but it was what she loved most about her bed at home, so we brought it along. We had to press, roll, and wrap it tightly in saran wrap just to make it thin enough to carry—definitely a hassle. Still, it was worth it because she absolutely loves her dorm bed setup.
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Girls Essentials: Stick to your fav products. Listing here for the sake of remembering.
Please enter product(-s) ASIN(-s)!
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