10 Things You Never Knew You Needed For Your Dorm Room {But You Do!}

It's been a few weeks, but I recently moved my oldest son into his first dorm room. My son decided to go out of state to college and is now more than 2000 miles away from home. It's not an easy weekend trip to pop up and bring any forgotten items from home, which is why I am glad I went with him to get him settled. There were a few items that came to light very quickly on after we moved him in and a few that have bubbled to the surface. Before he left, I created a list we used for packing that included all of the essentials. This was a bare bones list and included only the essentials. 

Today, I'm sharing with you 10 things you never knew you needed for your college dorm room {but you do}. Some of these things are things you don't really need but that would be really helpful to have to make your life easier, and some of these things you will wonder how you lived without them.  

1. Power Strip

I know I mentioned this in The Essential Shopping List for College Dorm Essentials, but just in case you didn't believe me, extra outlets are always lacking in a college dorm room. In a world where everything needs to be plugged in, having more outlets is always a necessity. This 2 pack isn't too expensive and would allow your college freshman the ability to have extra outlets all throughout their dorm room.

2. Drawer Organizer

Space is always at a premium in a dorm room so organization is key. These drawer organizers are great in the dresser and these are great in the desk drawers.

3. Wall Putty and Command Hooks

I don't know of any dorm that allows nails in the wall. Most of the walls I have seen are cinder blocks. Wall putty is a great way to hang up items on the walls and personalize your room and Command Hooks are a great way to utilize the space that otherwise might go unused.

4. Plastic Bags

Your college dorm probably comes with a meal plan and while you won't be using your room to prepare food, you will have snacks you will want to have on hand. Having small sandwich bags you can pack full of snacks for class are nice to have in your room.

5. Cleaning Wipes

I like a fairly clean house, but I'm fairly certain in the nine months that I lived in my dorm room I didn't clean it once. There are some times though that you will want to use some bleach wipes to clean off surfaces, especially when cold and flu season hits and you are living in a communal living space. 

6. Clip on Light

The bed in a dorm room becomes your couch, your chair and the place you sleep. There is usually very little room for any extra seating, which leads you to spending a lot of time laying or sitting in your bed. Having a clip on task light will help when you need to do homework in bed.

7. Lap Desk

You might also want a lap desk.  Nothing fancy, just a solid work surface with something soft for your legs underneath. 

8. Ironing Blanket

Storage space is at a premium, which is why you don't want to be storing an ironing board, even a small one. However, with some college events you will need to dress up and look your best. Having an ironing blanket allows you to use any hard surface to iron your clothes on and doesn't take up a lot of room.

9. Door Stop

The very first thing I noticed when I started moving my son into his dorm room was that his door automatically closed {and locked} every time. When I was in college our doors stayed open {like the doors in our home} until we closed them, but one of the best parts of dorm life is having your door open and getting to talk and hang out to people passing by. If your door closes automatically, get a door stop.

10. DormTopper Mattress Pad I {probably selectively} forgot about dorm mattresses. They are plastic and hard and have seen gazillions of bodies on them through the years and well, they need a mattress pad on them. This image pretty much sums it up.

I saw the plastic mattress and immediately got on it ordering one of these DormTopper mattress pads for him. These DormTopper mattress pads are specifically made for dorm mattresses and are handmade with New Zealand wool, soy-based gel foam and bamboo quilting so that you can have the ideal balance of comfort and temperature control. But I gave it a few weeks before he got this little number in the mail because I want him to remember how much he loves and appreciates me and how he wants to call me on Mother's Day and my birthday. It's the little things.

Which makes it perfect timing for you if your kids have already started in school and they are complaining of the hot hard plastic dorm mattresses. You can order the DormTopper, get $20 off and FREE FedEx shipping just by using the code teodoro at check out. In case you missed it, you can find a printable essential college dorm supply list and everything you need to create an RN approved first aid kit. I would love to hear if I am missing any items from this list that you would add. Maybe something your son or daughter has asked you to ship or bring to them on your first visit, or something you never knew you would need at college but turns out you are glad you had it. Add it to the comments.
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