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While housing situations and requirements vary greatly across various college campuses, one of the most anticipated (and most feared!) aspects of that first year of college life is living in the dorms. Ah yes, the movies and television shows of our youth have glamorized living in a closet-sized room—the endless sleepovers, the lifelong friends, the antics that those crazy kids get up to! College dorm life is all about what you make of it—what you put in, is what you will get out of it. Choose to make friends, eat cafeteria food, or spend late nights studying—if you want it, you can find it.

But, unfortunately, one thing that the movies fail to tell us about is just how small the dorm rooms actually are. They also fail to mention that your dorm mate might not become your friend for life. For that reason, often the most critical dorm room essentials aren’t just cute room decor and twinkle lights, but practical necessities that make sharing a tiny space organized and livable. (After all, there’s enough to worry about in college without having to figure out where your favorite sweatshirt went!)

So if you are planning on heading away to college this year, we’re helping you to create a college packing list that covers all of our favorite college dorm room must-have categories—bedding, cooking, showering, cleaning, and organization—as well as an endless list of dorm room decor ideas to get you into the mood to decorate your space and make it your own.

So if you don’t know what to bring to college, we’ve got your covered!

Must-Haves For Your Dorm Room Bed

The very first thing that should be on your dorm packing list is stuff for your bed. Sure, this includes a great set of sheets and a cozy comforter, but it should also include items to help you to get the best night of sleep possible. If you have never shared a bedroom with a sibling, you might not realize just how noisy sleeping close to someone else is! Getting a quality night of ZZZs is all about setting yourself up for success—noise cancelling headphones, white noise machines, or even keeping the light out of your room with blackout curtains. Regardless of what you need to sleep, those items need to be at the top of your list!

Dorm Essentials List For Your Bed:

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36 Sound Portable White Noise Machine

SErene Evolution

Use a variety of relaxing nighttime sounds to block out unwanted noise (or roommates) with the push of a button.

Image: Amazon

Mattress Protector

SafeRest

Your dorm bed will not only be where you sleep, but eat, study, and hang out. Make sure that it’s protected!

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Sherpa Fleece Throw

Green Orange

Is there anything better than a cozy blanket to curl up in at the end of the night?

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Battery Operated Flexible Clip On Fan

Sweetfull

If you always slept with a fan at home, this is its portable cousin—bendable legs let you set it or attach it just about anywhere you need that cooling breeze.

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Portable Blackout Shades

RUseeN

If unwanted light is keeping you up at night, use a set of blackout curtains to make your room pitch black. Even better, these are adjustable and portable.

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Reading Bed Wedge Pillow

ComfortSpa

Your dorm room bed isn’t just a bed, but a sofa, study spot, and reading nook, too! This lounge cushion gives you the added support that your back and needs while working on that last-minute homework assignment.

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Personal Desk Humidifier

LTYoie

During the winter, dry air can cause itchy skin and chapped lips. Turn on this small, portable humidifier at night—with or without your favorite essential oils—to bring some much-needed moisture into the room.

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Weighted Blanket

Quility

A weighted blanket can provide a gentle, calming pressure to help you relax and sleep better. Just what we need before a stressful week of exams.

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Quilted Fitted Mattress Pad

Bedsure

We already said that the key to a good night’s sleep is quality bedding, so make sure you have a great mattress pad!

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Down Alternative Bed Pillows

Beckham Hotel Collection

Super soft, fluffy pillows are a must-have dorm essential for us! Make sure to find ones that are hypoallergenic and great, no matter which way you sleep.

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Quiet Ear Plugs for Noise Reduction

Loop

Trust us, a great set of earplugs is going to be worth its weight in gold for those loud weekend nights. Plus, these come in a variety of fun colors to be anything but the usual earplugs.

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Bluetooth Headphones Headband

When regular earplugs aren’t enough, this soft headband has built-in bluetooth headphones that let you listen to music or sounds of your choice for up to 10 hours on a single charge.

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14 Piece Room-in-a-bag

Bedsure

This is a complete set of absolutely everything that you need if you want a one-stop-shop for your dorm. This 14-piece set includes: 1 mattress protector, 1 complete Twin XL sheet set, 1 comforter, 2 pillow shams, 2 pillowcases, 1 bath towel, 1 face towel, 1 hand towel, 1 bedside caddy, 1 laundry bag…and even an eye mask!

Must-Haves For Dorm Room Storage

Did we already mention that dorm rooms are small? After prioritizing a good night’s sleep, it’s time to focus on storage and organization. After all, we need to make the most out of our space! This includes items that make it easy to maximize the space in those small areas, most notably, the closet! (Hey, we’ve got cute outfits planned.)

One of the most common ways to increase the storage in your dorm room is to create a lofted bed. This makes it super easy to make use of that vertical space and gives you plenty of under bed storage for the other stuff in your dorm. You can make use of vacuum bags and cube storage to stash away seasonal clothing, or you can use rolling carts and bags to make toiletries, shower supplies, and study essentials readily available. Trust us, these are the dorm room essentials you’ll be thankful you packed!

Dorm Essentials List For Storage:

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USB Wall Charger Outlet Extender

QINLIANF

Outlet space is going to be limited in any dorm room. Don’t fight over who gets to plug in their electronics. This extender has plenty of room, no matter what you need to charge!

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Vacuum Storage Bags

Spacesaver

If you live somewhere that it gets extra hot or extra cold, you’re going to want to rotate your seasonal clothing. Save space in your dorm by using vacuum bags to store bulky coats, sweaters, or clothes until you need them again.

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Flat Plug Power Strip

Tessan

When you need to charge your electronics away from the wall, you will want this corded extender with plugs and USB outlets.

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Magic Space Saving Hangers

Heyhouse

Closet space is at a premium, so you want to make the most of it without having to cut down on your wardrobe. These hangers allow you to take traditional hangers and hang them vertically on one hook, giving you so much more space in your closet.

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Non-Slip Velvet Hangers

Zober

Even if you don’t need the hanging hook above, having a great set of hangers to keep your clothes hung up is essential. These velvet hangers are gentle on your clothes and are also slim enough to hang all of your favorite clothes or jeans.

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6-Shelf Hanging Closet Organizer

Topia Home

If you want to make the most of your vertical space for your folded clothes, these hanging shelves attach to your closet rod and act as a skinny dresser where you can store clothes, shoes, towels, and more!

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Mini Stackable Crates

D1Resion

These storage crates are incredibly versatile! You can use them to store clothes in your closet, or use the colorful bins to organize school supplies, cooking essentials, or even your cleaning products.

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Powered Bed Risers

Butizone

Lofting your bed allows you to get a little extra space underneath, perfect for storage bins. These risers have a built-in outlet extender that you can plug in to give your bed added charging ports.

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Under the Bed Collapsible Storage Box

Storageworks

Make use of that under the bed space with a set of low-profile storage bins. Stash away shoes or seasonal clothing until you need it again.

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Double-Sided Hanging Closet Underwear Organizer

Simple Houseware

Don’t forget to utilize the back of the closet doors. This hanger’s flexible pockets are a great place to put socks and undergarments.

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Full Length Mirror Cabinet

YITAHOME

Don’t forget to organize your jewelry to prevent tangles. We love this organizer as a super-functional way to store jewelry, skincare, makeup, and more. When you close it, you have a full-length standing mirror so you don’t waste any precious space.

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Cosmetic Storage Stand

Songmics

Want to keep your most commonly used skincare right where you can see it? Keep your daily moisturizers, sunscreens, and nighttime products close by with this cute rotating stand.

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Over the Chair Pocket Organizer

Dormify

College dorm room storage is all about getting creative with what you have! Convert the unused space on the back of your chair into a desk accessory and school supply organizer.

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Felt Drawer Organizers

NewThinkings

Instead of having a messy drawer with sticky notes and pens rolling all over when you open, these individual containers fit into the drawer to let you customize your storage and keep writing utensils, paper clips, and other class essentials close by.

Essential School Supplies And Desk Accessories

As excited as you might be to move into your dorm room, we can’t forget why you’re headed off to college in the first place! Whether it’s an early morning class or a long science lab, you’re going to want to make sure that you have all the necessary school supplies. But that doesn’t mean that you have to shop for the bright-colored markers and No.2 pencils that you had in your grade school backpack. There’s a vast array of aesthetic school supplies just waiting to be plucked out of your (hopefully organized) desk drawer.

And when you return and it’s time to study? Make sure that your dorm room desk is one that you want to return to especially if you’re about to pull an all-night study session.

School Supply Essentials List:

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Quick Dry Ink Pens

Fiover

If you’re a fan of neutral, matte pens, these black ink pens offer a smooth writing experience in a trendy package. Even better, these five pens comes with five refills!

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Dual Tip Colored Curve Pens

AECHY

One side of these colorful markers is an ultra-fine tipped pen, but when you flip one over, the other side has a built-in roller marker to give a simple wavy design to anything that you’re writing on!

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Monterey Ballpoint Pens

U Brands

The soft gold hardware on these black ballpoint pens is grown up and chic.

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Mechanical Pencil Set

Four Candies

We can’t let colorful pens have all the fun. This set of mechanical pencils comes with matching pastel highlighters and all the refills that you’ll need for the entire semester.

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Clickable Erasable Gel Pens

Pilot

If you are a fan of brightly colored writing utensils, this rainbow set is here for you. Even better? These gel pens have erasable ink so you can take notes in class worry-free.

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Aesthetic Fat Pastel Highlighters

Mr. Pen

Gone are the days of the neon yellow highlighters! And, unlike other highlighters, these wide-tip markers won’t smudge or bleed through the page.

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Transparent Sticky Notes

Brytefy

It’s time to upgrade those standard yellow sticky notes, too! These transparent notes allow you to see through to the page underneath, giving you more room to take down important notes or class deadlines.

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Colorful Sticky Tabs

Mr. Pen

Can you tell that we love our transparent notes? These small stickers make the perfect tabs to mark important pages in notebooks and textbooks. You can even color code them to organize reading or notes to come back to later.

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Felt Tip Sticky Note Pen

Diversebee

Unfortunately, traditional pens will smear and wipe off of transparent sticky notes. However, this pen is the best one that we’ve used yet (read: it doesn’t smear!). Quick-drying and easy to write with, these are a must-have school supply.

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Floral Notebook

Cambridge

You can’t have a backpack full of pens and markers and not have something to write in. We love the simple design on this wire-bound notebook!

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Large Monthly Planner

JStory

If you’re a visual person, you love to see everything at a glance. This extra-large planner is ultra-simple, but gives you plenty of room to write so that you never miss a due date or class project.

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The Simple Elephant Undated Planner

Papercode

If you want a more detailed look at your schedule, this small undated planner has monthly, weekly, and even daily views to give you plenty of space to write everything that you have going on in a busy college student life.

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Budget Planner

Clever Fox

No one actually likes thinking about their finances, but it’s a necessary evil. Keep it all organized with a convenient planner!

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Colorful Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

UBOTIE

A quick way to upgrade your dorm room desk aesthetic is by swapping out a basic (and boring) keyboard for this cute wireless one! It even comes in a ton of different colors and with a matching mouse!

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Waterproof Desk Mat

Boutilon

A desk mat is a simple, but effective way to keep your dorm room workspace clean and organized. Plus, the PU leather keeps your desk protected against any unforeseen spills.

Must-Haves for Your Dorm Room Decor

Okay, decorating might be one of our favorite parts about living in a dorm room. Pinterest is absolutely full of cute room ideas—no matter what your aesthetic, there will be dorm decor ideas there, just waiting for you. Now, we love these decorations as much as anyone (seriously, we weren’t joking about Pinterest!), but it’s also important to keep in mind the versatility and functionality of your dorm room decor.

If you want to switch up the lighting, make it soft and pretty with twinkle lights, or change the lighting colors on command with LED light strips. You can even make your decor more functional by utilizing chargers, adapters, or storage options, too! When it comes to dorm room decor, the possibilities are truly endless!

But, no matter what your design style, one thing to keep in mind is that you have to move out at the end of the year (or semester). That means we’re focusing on items that can be easily removed without damaging the walls or finding products that will help us make our dorm room decor a reality without the hassle and mess when it’s time to leave.

Dorm Essentials List For Your room Decor:

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LED Marquee Letter Sign

Pooqla

Personalize your wall art with the initial of your first or last name—or any letter of the alphabet that you choose. For even more fun, create a whole word.

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Rechargeable Desk Toaster Lamp

Qanyi

We love whimsical decor — especially this little toaster!

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Battery-Operated LED Fairy Lights

Aogist

Fairy lights can cast a soft glow on your room if you want to shut off those bright overhead lights for a calmer ambiance.

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LED Strip Lights

Govee

These LED strip lights make it so easy to add versatile lighting (and fun colors!) into your dorm room decor. Even better, these lights are WiFi compatible, allowing you to control them from your phone.

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Command Damage Free Hanging Strips

3M

This might be last on your college packing list, but if you’re thinking about hanging any room decor on your walls, grab a pack of Command hooks. They effortlessly attach to the wall and can be removed without causing any damage at move out!

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Full Length Door Mirror

LVSOMT

A mirror can give the illusion of a bigger room. However, we know that we just want to make sure we get a good look at our OOTD before we leave for class.

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General Household Tool Kit

Cartman

Let’s face it — you will need a toolkit at some point. This basic starter set has everything that you need.

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Wireless LED Under Cabinet Stick Lights

Brilliant Evolution

If you want to add additional lighting to your room, these battery-powered puck lights can be attached anywhere, and they have a remote control!

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3D Moon Night Light

Mydethun

This is a cute room decor item that TikTok made us buy! But, it’s also a great light for your dorm room.

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Desk Lamp With Wireless charging

Brightroom

If you prefer a more mid-century modern style, this gold table lamp fits in perfectly and also has a wireless charger on its base for added functionality.

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Dry Erase Calendar

Hadley Designs

College life is busy. Keep track of your schedule with a wall calendar. Or, have your roommate share it with you so that you always know when you will each be in the room to schedule quiet study time or chatting with friends.

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Battery Powered Long Clip String Light Set

Jpeng

Instead of bulky photo frames, this string hanger is a great way to display your favorite photos and reminisce with the friends you miss!

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Aesthetic Photo Collage Kit

Haus and Hues

Not sure what to clip on the string lights or want to create an easily removable custom piece of art on your walls? These collage kits come in a variety of aesthetic themes to match any color scheme or decor you have in your dorm room. Plus, they make decorating so easy!

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Mini Portable Air Purifier

Pure Enrichment

This mini portable air purifier will be a lifesaver during busy days when you’re a bit behind on laundry or you forgot about that food from last night left on your nightstand. A HEPA filter will clean the air and remove all of the bad odors while you’re away at class.

Must-Haves For Showering In Your Dorm

While there are some dorms on college campuses that don’t have shared showers, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be walking down to that shower at the end of the hall at least once in your college experience. Movie scenes have prepared us for just this moment—the slapping of flip-flops on our heels, the uncomfortable shifting of a towel, all as we open the door on a locker room filled with our fellow students, each in a different manner of undress, but all standing on the same (often questionable) tiled floor.

As much as we’d like to glamorize that experience for you, showering in your college dorm is all about convenience and ease (also probably avoiding the questionably dirty areas of that locker room, too). That means when it comes to dorm must-haves, what you take to the bathroom and shower matters! Just like focusing on organization in the dorm room, creating a list of easy-to-use shower essentials is extra important. For us, this includes a shower caddy that is easy to organize (as well as big enough to fit all of the necessities), and—of course—towels, towels, and more towels.

Oh, and shower shoes. Never, ever, forget your shower shoes.

Dorm Essentials List For Community Showers:

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Waffle Body Wrap Towel

Turquaz

Instead of having nightmares about your towel falling down in the showers, this robe has a Velcro closure that keeps it in place so that you don’t have to worry about any embarassing moments while you get ready.

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Plastic Shower Caddy

mDesign

A simple basket to take to the locker room, this bin comes in a variety of colors to match with your favorites.

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Smiley Face Slide Sandals

Guyarns

We mentioned it before: never ever forget your shower shoes. These easy-to-rinse slide sandals are not only cute, but the yellow makes them hard to lose!

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Silicone Toothbrush Holders

Defrko

If you’re like us, the first thing you reach for in the bathroom is your toothbrush. Keep it organized and out of germ’s reach with these wall holders.

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Plastic Storage Baskets with Handles

UuJoly

We love this basket for its versatility. Sure, it makes for a great shower basket to fit all of your bathroom essentials, but it works equally as well for cleaning supply storage or even in your room for any number of uses.

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Microfiber Hair Towel Wrap

Popchose

This microfiber hair wrap is super absorbent and helps you to dry hair 10 times quicker than a standard towel. We are all about anything that saves us time (and protects our hair, too!).

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8-Piece Luxury Towel Set

White Classic

A great set of towels is a college dorm room must-have. This 8-piece set has you covered with soft, fluffy towels, wash cloths, and hand towels. Plus, they come in 20 different color choices!

Must-Haves For Eating In Your Dorm Room

Here’s the thing—while there is a cafeteria, you might not always want to eat in the cafeteria. And, frankly, sometimes what we can make on our own is better and more convenient, too, especially when it comes to those all-nighters. For that reason, make sure to add your most commonly used cooking appliances and tools to that college packing list!

If you’re a coffee lover, this might include your favorite coffee pot (or a tiny space-friendly version of it) or items that make eating on the go, both practical and easy. Regardless of what it is, keeping a stash of your favorite food and drink necessities in your room for when those late-night cravings hit is never a bad idea.

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K-Mini Coffee Maker

Keurig

If you need your daily dose of caffeine before you head to a morning class, but you don’t have time to brew a whole pot of coffee? This slender single-cup coffee pot saves you space on your desk, but also money from wasted coffee. Want to avoid single-use K-cups? Get a reusable strainer to prevent that plastic waste.

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Wheat Straw Dinnerware Set

Foodle

Eating in your dorms requires an unbreakable set of dishes that is also super durable. This complete dining set is made from non-toxic substances and is dishwasher and microwave safe! You’ll never need to buy another set.

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Electric Hot Pot & Non-Stick Sauté Pan

Dezin

This electric cooker is perfect when you don’t have a stove. Not only does it have the traditional functions of a hot pot, but due to it’s non-stick coating, you can sauté food to create a variety of dinners!

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Foldable Laptop Bed Table

Active Items

This foldable bed table does it all. Not only does it make for a convenient place to eat dinner, but it has room for your laptop and study materials, a cup holder, and even a slot for a tablet (for class notes or a Netflix marathon).

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Rechargeable Blender Bottle

Levare USA

Grab-and-go is the name of the game. This portable blender lets you create individual smoothies when time is limited, and can be quickly charged with a USB cable!

Essentials For Cleaning Your Dorm Room

Okay, okay, this is our least favorite category on the list, too. There is nothing glamorous about packing cleaning supplies—that’s for sure—but cleaning your dorm room is just one of those things that, well…has to happen eventually. So, nothing can round out a college checklist quite like a roundup of our favorite cleaning products. Depending on your dorm room, you might need some of these cleaning items more than others, but we know for sure that you will need them.

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Slim Trash Can with Lid

Joysbos

A trash can might be the number one item used in your dorm room. This 3 gallon trash can is just the right size for your needs, and it can be easily tucked underneath a desk or near a bed.

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Eco Friendly Washer Soap Strips

Earthwash

We love an eco-friendly product, but we also love how these detergent sheets are completely liquid-less. That means no spills, zero waste, and they take up almost no space.

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Mesh Laundry Bag

Kimmama

A set of mesh wash bags will come in hand when it’s time to wash delicate clothing or a pair of stinky athletic shoes. But, the uses don’t stop at just laundry. Use these bags for additional storage or as packing cubes when you travel!

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All-Purpose Cleaner Spray

Mrs. Meyer’s

This all-purpose cleaning spray is a multi-surface master when it comes to cleaning and removing odors from surfaces. It’s also cruelty-free and comes in one of our favorite scents—basil!

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Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater Spray

Hate Stains Co.

These bottles might be tiny, but they sure are powerful. This non-toxic stain remover takes out even the worst stains with a patented formula! Keep a bottle handy near your laundry basket for your next tomato sauce emergency.

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Laundry Backpack Bag

Bukere

Unfortunately, there won’t be any washing machines in your dorm room, so that means you’re relegated to lugging it into the shared laundry room. This hamper-meets-backpack makes it easy to carry laundry, no matter how far away it is.

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Magic Eraser Cleaning Pads

Mr. CLean

Mr Clean Magic Erasers do exactly what they say—scrub away dirt and stains on just about any surface. Plus, there are no harsh chemicals added!

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Swedish Dish Cloths

Swedish Wholesale

Since space in a dorm room is already at a premium, make the most out of your cleaning clothes by picking some that are super absorbent. This set of 10 cloths is also washable and will be up for any cleaning task—anywhere.

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Featherweight Bagless Stick Vacuum

Bissell

Wood, laminate, tile, or carpet, this small and portable vacuum cleaner will come in handy. Not only is it bagless and unbelievably lightweight (they don’t call it a featherweight for nothing!), it can convert from stick vacuum into hand vacuum quickly, letting you get into any nook or crevice in your dorm room.