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Hi, I’m Gina! Over the last few years, I’ve helped several of the teens I mentor move into their dorm rooms for their first year of college. I researched each time to ensure we always got the latest and greatest. But over the years, there are a few things that have proven to be most useful for dorm-living, many of them I would never expect!
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These Bedrisers Keep Bedbugs Out, Too!
Bed risers are magical – they essentially add an additional closet under your bed. These incredibly sturdy Tower Trap bed risers also do double the work of monitoring for any creepy crawlers. (Did you know that dorms are common places for bed bugs? Ewwwww…)
Clever Alternative: And with all that under-bed storage, these under-bed rolling storage bins with a clear top will come in handy!
This Is The Extra Desk You Didn’t Know You Needed
In a teeny-tiny dorm room, any space is potentially a work space. This tricked out lap desk is key to making your bed a work area. Most importantly, it can hold your phone and even comes with a built-in lamp so you don’t have to bother your roommate when you’re up at 1 a.m. writing that paper.
Clever Alternative: And when your bed doubles as your desk, your desk can double as your vanity with this fold-away lighted mirror. Because, face it, no one is going to wait for you to do your makeup in the shared bathroom.
Extra Outlets and USB Ports = Dorm Room Lifelines
Let’s do the math: 2-3 roommates + 2 outlets x 3 devices each = potential hell. Avoid calamity and get the most of your limited outlets by getting these power strips with USB ports, so you don’t have to decide between powering your laptop or charging your phone or fighting with your roommate(s). Bonus point that this one is also surge protected.
Clever Alternative: And avoid total cord chaos or potential dis”cord” (somebody stop me) by keeping your cords collected in these color-coded cord-keepers!
Set The Mood and Charge Your Phone With This Desk Lamp!
The florescent lighting in most dorm rooms is awful! This desk lamp with USB ports desk lamp allows you to set the mood – you can dim or brighten it just by tapping on the base. Also, plug in your phone in the base while you sleep.
Clever Alternative:
Keep other handy essentials (your phone, glasses etc.) bedside with this stick-on wall-mounted bed caddy!
Keep The Peace with These Earplugs
Even if you’re a heavy sleeper, it’s always a good idea to keep ear plugs close by. They’ll help shut out any impromptu party your roommate has two feet away from your bed.
Clever Alternative: This inexpensive sleep mask is the perfect pairing for the earplugs!
Hang These Hooks Without Holes
There are a lot of things you’ll want to hang up in your room throughout the day – like your towel, jackets, bags, hats, etc. Having over-the-door hooks hooks like these make it easy to spread them out in the dorm room.
Clever Alternative: If you really want to up your over-the-door storage, this over-the-door mirror is also a cabinet with jewelry storage!
Shower Sandals Are Shared-Shower Essentials
Good shower sandals can help you feel more comfortable about taking showers in shared bathrooms. These sandals are great because they have holes on the bottom to drain out water but don’t allow the water from the floor to touch your feet.
Clever Alternative: If you need to tote your shower gear, take it in machine-washable mesh shower tote.
Make Your Bed Totally Tolerable With This Mattress Topper
Dorm beds can feel like they’re made out of hay and cardboard, but a great mattress topper can fix that. You might not get a lot of sleep, but you should make sure that the sleep that you do get is solid.
Clever Alternative: Keep that mattress topper in place with a puffy, comfy, extra-long mattress pad!
You’ll Definitely Need a Durable Popup Hamper
Unless your fancy dorm room comes with door to door laundry service, you’ll likely be porting your own massive bag of dirty clothes to the shared washers. A durable popup hamper folds away when you’re not using it, and has handles for toting your massive laundry load to the wash (or back home to mom ;-))
Clever Alternative: Tip: Don’t take all your detergent with you. Pop a few laundry pods in one of these reusable storage bags.
Finally, A Comforter That is Extra Long!
Here’s the thing: most dorm room beds are extra long twin beds, but most comforters are sized for regular twin beds. Be sure to grab an extra long comforter like this one, which will actually cover your whole bed AND make it possible to use washable comforter covers.
Clever Alternative: These extra long duvet covers are great alternative to lugging your whole comforter to the wash every week!
