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The Best College Dorm Essentials

Updated Dec 10, 2022

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Having a dorm room that feels more like a home than an uninspired dormitory can make a huge difference in helping you settle into your freshman year. That’s why we’ve spent more than 180 hours evaluating the best dorm bedding, appliances, and other essentials to ease the transition from childhood home to college.

Target Threshold 400 Thread Count Performance Sheet Set , the best twin xl sheets for your dorm bed

Target Threshold 400 Thread Count Performance Sheet Set

The best twin XL sheets for your dorm bed

Our favorite affordable cotton sheets are available in one size that will fit a dorm bed, and they come in an assortment of solids and prints. Don’t wait to buy them, though—they sell out fast.

We recommend

Garnet Hill Polka-Dot Percale Sheet Set, soft and colorful xl sheets for your dorm bed

Garnet Hill Polka-Dot Percale Sheet Set

Soft and colorful XL sheets for your dorm bed

These colorful, well-constructed sheets are taut and densely woven, and they wrinkle less than other similarly priced sheets we tested. A good shake should be all you need to get them bed-ready.

We recommend

Utopia Bedding Comforter Duvet Insert, Twin, down alternative

Utopia Bedding Comforter Duvet Insert, Twin

Down alternative

The Utopia is a warm yet relatively breathable down-alternative choice that’s ideal if you don’t want to splurge on bedding.

We recommend

Brooklinen Classic Duvet Cover, stylish geometric prints

Brooklinen Classic Duvet Cover

Stylish geometric prints

This soft and comfortable percale cover comes in the most stylish and interesting prints we’ve seen. It’s one of the least expensive covers we tried, but it feels like nice hotel bedding.

We recommend

Garnet Hill Plush-Loft Blanket , the best throw blanket

Garnet Hill Plush-Loft Blanket

The best throw blanket

This is the coziest throw we’ve tried, and it’s durable and easy to clean, so it’s perfect for dorm life.

We recommend

L.L.Bean Wicked Plush Throw, the coziest fleece

L.L.Bean Wicked Plush Throw

The coziest fleece

This fluffy throw is warm and inviting, and it’s tough enough to last for years of use. It’s one of our favorite throws under $50.

We recommend

Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow, best for most sleepers

Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow

Best for most sleepers

A longtime favorite among our testers, this pillow has moldable, customizable filling that offers firm support for back- and side-sleepers. What it doesn’t have: the lingering chemical smell we’ve noticed in some other shredded foam.

We recommend

Sleep On Latex Pure Green Natural Latex Topper, an affordable latex mattress topper

Sleep On Latex Pure Green Natural Latex Topper

An affordable latex mattress topper

Springier than memory foam, this latex topper comes in a wide range of thicknesses and densities to suit all sleep positions. It’s one of the most affordable latex toppers we’ve found and gets consistently high owner ratings.

We recommend

Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask, a comfortable sleep mask

Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask

A comfortable sleep mask

The lightweight and contoured Nidra eye mask is a light-blocking win for most face shapes, with deep eye cups that allow the wearer to blink freely.

We recommend

Mack’s Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs, for a good night’s sleep

Mack’s Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs

For a good night’s sleep

These earplugs blocked the most noise in our controlled testing, and our sleep panel found them more comfortable and secure.

We recommend

Black Diamond Spot 350, for late-night studying

Black Diamond Spot 350

For late-night studying

An easy-to-use, bright-enough headlamp with long-lasting battery life and a red-light option for nighttime reading or hallway bathroom trips.

We recommend

LifeStyles Skyn, best average-fit condom

LifeStyles Skyn

Best average-fit condom

Offering a fantastic skin-like sensation and great heat transfer, Skyn condoms are widely available and affordable, and they’re safe for people with latex allergies.

We recommend

DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock, an affordable, easy-to-see alarm clock

DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock

An affordable, easy-to-see alarm clock

This budget digital alarm clock does so much for so little. It has the largest numerical display we tested, two USB ports, and easy-to-use tactile controls that take the guesswork out of changing settings.

We recommend

Old Navy Classic Flip-Flops (men’s), effective and affordable

Old Navy Classic Flip-Flops (men’s)

Effective and affordable

These flip-flops are affordable and comfortable, plus they come in tons of colors.

We recommend

Old Navy Classic Flip-Flops (women’s), effective and affordable

Old Navy Classic Flip-Flops (women’s)

Effective and affordable

These flip-flops are affordable and comfortable, and they’re available down to a women’s size 5.

We recommend

Fieldcrest Casual Solid Bath Towel , a light, plush towel

Fieldcrest Casual Solid Bath Towel

A light, plush towel

This thick, springy towel isn’t quite as soft as pricier terry towels we’ve tried, but it felt less overwhelming to use and absorbed water better than most.

We recommend

The Company Store Company Cotton Women’s Turkish Cotton Long Robe, a cozy terry robe in women’s sizes

The Company Store Company Cotton Women’s Turkish Cotton Long Robe

A cozy terry robe in women’s sizes

This warm terry robe comes in bright colors, holds up through multiple washes, and comes in sizes XS–XXL.

We recommend

The Company Store Company Cotton Men’s Turkish Cotton Long Robe, a comfy terry robe in men’s sizes

The Company Store Company Cotton Men’s Turkish Cotton Long Robe

A comfy terry robe in men’s sizes

The men’s version of our favorite terry robe is just as hard-wearing as the women’s, and it’s available in six rich colors, sizes S–XXL.

We recommend

Mind Reader 50 Liter Laundry Hamper, the best hamper

Mind Reader 50 Liter Laundry Hamper

The best hamper

This well-ventilated hamper has a lid to keep the mess out of sight but offers the portability of a basket.

We recommend

Spectrum Duchess Over the Door 5-Hook Rack, space saving and durable

Spectrum Duchess Over the Door 5-Hook Rack

Space saving and durable

This durable, easy-to-use rack is ideal for holding coats, towels, or bathrobes, and it takes advantage of otherwise unused space on the back of a door.

We recommend

Target Room Essentials Hangers, cheap and easy

Target Room Essentials Hangers

Cheap and easy

These hangers do a great job at the right price.

We recommend

Black+Decker 16V Max Lithium DustBuster Hand Vacuum CHV1410L, powerful and affordable

Black+Decker 16V Max Lithium DustBuster Hand Vacuum CHV1410L

Powerful and affordable

For quick cleanups, this small, affordable handheld vacuum is surprisingly powerful and will get the job done.

We recommend

Iris Weathertight Totes, clear, latched boxes

Iris Weathertight Totes

Clear, latched boxes

For everyday use, these tightly latching, clear containers are the most versatile we’ve found for storing clothes and other gear. They’re also available at multiple stores.

We recommend

Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator, power and proven durability

Vornado 630 Medium Air Circulator

Power and proven durability

The compact Vornado 630 can send breezes to the far corners of a large room, and it’s easy to control and clean. It also has a long-established record for reliability.

We recommend

LapGear Designer Lap Desk 17.3 Inch, the best lap desk

LapGear Designer Lap Desk 17.3 Inch

The best lap desk

The LapGear Designer Lap Desk is the total package in terms of style, comfort, stability, and build quality, plus it includes extra storage options others don’t.

We recommend

Command Medium Designer Hooks, a damage-free wall hook

Command Medium Designer Hooks

A damage-free wall hook

These easy-to-remove hooks install in seconds and hold your stuff securely.

We recommend

Command Poster Strips, easy poster installation

Command Poster Strips

Easy poster installation

These poster strips make decorating easy, and the grippy but quick-release adhesive helps prevent ripping when posters come down at the end of the semester.

We recommend

IKEA Forså, a stylish lamp with warm light

IKEA Forså

A stylish lamp with warm light

With the IKEA Forså, you can’t dim the bulb or adjust its color temperature, but you can aim light exactly where you want it, and it uses any screw-in E12 LED bulb.

We recommend

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2, the best all-around portable bluetooth speaker

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

The best all-around portable Bluetooth speaker

The Wonderboom 2 has a natural sound and a cool design, and it’s built to survive almost any adventure.

We recommend

Tripp Lite Protect It 3-Outlet Surge Protector SK30USB, the best small surge protector

Tripp Lite Protect It 3-Outlet Surge Protector SK30USB

The best small surge protector

Tripp Lite’s three-outlet SK30USB has an auto-shutoff feature and offers almost as much surge protection as full-size models. Plus, it has two 2.1-amp USB ports.

We recommend

Midea WHS-65LSS1, best cube mini fridge

Midea WHS-65LSS1

Best cube mini fridge

This 1.6-cubic-foot mini fridge holds plenty (at least 30 cans) and runs quietly. Features like adjustable legs and temperature make it easier to use and all the more pleasant to have around.

We recommend

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug, keep liquids hot or cold

Zojirushi Stainless Steel Mug

Keep liquids hot or cold

The Zojirushi offers amazing heat retention, a unique one-handed design, and a locking, leak-proof lid.

We recommend

Hydro Flask Standard Mouth (21 ounces), the best water bottle

Hydro Flask Standard Mouth (21 ounces)

The best water bottle

The Hydro Flask is an insulated steel bottle that’s pleasant to sip from and simple to carry, and it was completely leak-proof in our tests. The wide mouth also fits ice cubes better than many we tried.

We recommend

Hamilton Beach 40880 Stainless Steel 1.7 Liter Kettle, the best budget kettle

Hamilton Beach 40880 Stainless Steel 1.7 Liter Kettle

The best budget kettle

This no-frills kettle gets the job done on the cheap.

We recommend

AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker, a dorm-friendly coffee maker

AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

A dorm-friendly coffee maker

High pressure and lower temperatures mean less bitterness.

We recommend

Mr. Coffee Easy Measure , the best cheap coffee maker

Mr. Coffee Easy Measure

The best cheap coffee maker

This straightforward, compact machine makes a very smooth, agreeable cup of coffee.

Budget friendly

Finum Brewing Basket, the best tea steeper

Finum Brewing Basket

The best tea steeper

Thanks to its large size and fine-mesh walls, this steeper allows more water to flow between tea leaves. It fits the vast majority of mugs and cups, as well as some teapots and thermoses.

We recommend

Instant Pot Duo Mini 3-Quart, the best small electric pressure cooker

Instant Pot Duo Mini 3-Quart

The best small electric pressure cooker

One of the most affordable electric cookers we tried, the Duo Mini makes the perfect amount for one to two people, and it’s the easiest Instant Pot to store in a small kitchen.

We recommend

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