All the Dorm Room Essentials you Need to Bring!

As part of my dorm room and small space series I thought I would compile a helpful list of dorm room essentials for the girly girl. It can be easy to get carried away and lost in cute dorm room decor ideas and forget all about the essentials if you are moving away from home, like cutlery, a mini fridge (for iced tea) plus dry shampoo haha!! I threw in some general stuff in there too as well as dorm decor, I hope you enjoy! PS for some cute dorm ideas for girls check out these dorm decor tips, all the girly dorm room wall decor ideas and dorm room decorating tips too!

What are some dorm room essentials?

Dorm essentials include important electronics like extension leads, a bedside lamp, plus a microwave and mini fridge if your university allows it, along with soft furnishings like cushions and a rug, that make your room more cosy and comfortable and feel more like home. It can be so helpful to make a dorm room checklist of dorm room essentials, this way you don’t miss out the important little things like extension plugs and chargers for your devices – plus dry shampoo!

What should you not bring to a college dorm?

To stick to the essentials and keep an uncluttered space try not to bring holiday stuff or lots of occasion wear as they won’t get as much use and end up taking up lots space in your room or closet. Big pieces of furniture are not good to bring either as they can be difficult to install, take up lots of space and are probably not too useful as furniture is often already provided!

What does a girl need for her dorm room?

There are lots of different essentials to think about. Buy in lots of matching pieces for your dorm room – matching bedding sets, matching socks, matching hangers, so everything will easily coordinate, even if some pieces break or get lost in the wash. If you have a room mate, find out what they are bringing and you could even coordinate bedding and dorm essentials. It can be cheaper to share a room as you can share the cost of things such as curtains, a vacuum, cleaning essentials, a mirror, cutlery, a bin for your room, there are so many options!

1. Mattress pad or mattress topper

2. 10′ phone charger

3. Towel wraps

Towels you can securely wrap around you, so handy!

4. Blackout curtains

5. Extension cord and power strip

6. Cable organisers

To encase all of your cables neatly so they don’t get out of control

7. Water flask or bottle

8. Small vaccuum

9. Bedsheets

10. Really cute dorm duvet and bedding sets

11. Bed shelf

For when you don’t have a bedside table and even if you do! You can get tables that clip on to your bed – or even install some shelves around your bed, to keep everything you need close by.

12. Cosy blankets

A couple of cosy blankets you can sleep under in summer and pop on your bed for an extra layer in winter.

13. Comfy dressing gown or robe

14. Towel set

15. A lightweight bike

If you have room! If you don’t drive this will be the most useful thing ever and mean you have freedom over where you can go, which can help you endlessly. It’s also so much cheaper than driving! Don’t forget any accessories, such as a bike lock.

If you are sharing an apartment or house and have any kind of outside space, consider a shed! Sheds come in all sizes, you can even get super tiny ones for a balcony. Something from the likes of Whatshed can free up clutter and make a safe space to keep things like bikes that don’t fit anywhere else!

16. Full size mirror

An over the door one is perfect, or one that you can hang on the wall that will save space while making your room look more spacious at the same time.

17. Closet and wardrobe organisation

Clothes hangers and any drawer or closet organisers to keep everything neat and tidy!

18. Over the door storage

A perfect way to store lots in a small space

19. Storage baskets

These can look super chic in your room as well as tidying bits and bobs out of the way! In a dorm you don’t have things like kitchens units, so cube storage with baskets can be so helpful, to keep your cleaning products and everything stored out of the way.

20. Laundry basket

21. Pillows and cushions

Will make your room look super put together and inject a little splash of personality, there are so many different kinds to choose from!

22. A cosy rug

Perfect to make your home feel cosy. Also look out for one that will be easy to vacuum or clean, it will save so much time!

23. Desk lamp or bedside table lamp

24. Storage cubes

These are brilliant as you can do so many things with them!

25. Cutlery set

26. Small plates and mugs sets

27. Bin or trash can

28. Multisurface cleaning spray

29. Air freshener

30. A sturdy backpack

Check out these gorgeous girly best reviewed college backpacks for students here!

31. Soaps and lotions

32. A microwave

If your dorm allows it! It can be the most useful thing, to cook basic meals and make popcorn.

33. A mini fridge

For all your chilled goods

34. A mini clothes steamer

It will fit in your room so much easier than an iron and ironing board and is much more convenient!

35. A memo board

To keep super organised by! You can also decorate it to inject some personality in to your room!

36. A hairbrush and your favourite lightweight hair tools

Also dry shampoo!

37. Frames

To frame your favourite prints and wall art, to girlify your space!

Also be sure to check out these what to bring to college essentials that always end up forgotten, these dreamy boho dorm room decor ideas, the girliest college apartment decor ideas to try and the best college apartment packing list to use to know what to bring with you!