Dorm room essentials list

There’s a lot of planning that goes into a school year, especially when you’re heading back to college or university in the fall, and the key is to start planning now so you’ll have a lot of time to enjoy summer before the rush of back to school really hits. You can find everything you need to set up your dorm room for comfort, creativity, and productivity by shopping with this ultimate dorm room checklist.

Table of contents

1. Décor for college dorms and apartments
2. Latest dorm room tech and gadgets
3. Dorm room entertainment and recreation
4. Best backpacks for college
5. Essential kitchen and household items

Most students only have a vague idea of what their dorm will look like before they move in, so a detailed list really helps them to be prepared when they arrive at their school. There will likely be things they need to get when they arrive so consider sending them to school with a Best Buy gift card. It’ll also come in handy when they need to order replacement ink for their printer!

Décor for College Dorms and Apartments

Your dorm room bedroom may just be a bed in the middle of a small space, but you can make it your own by bringing in all the comforts of home.

Every dorm room can be cozy

Personalizing your room begins with your bed, but there isn’t always room for a full-size bed in such a small space. That doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable, and you’ll always have a great sleep when you bring in your own piece of sleeper furniture. This type of furniture can double as a chair for enjoying movies or console gaming, then fold out into a bed when you’re ready to sleep. Just cuddle up with your favourite bedding and you’ll be ready to sleep.

Create a cozy seating area in your dorm

A dorm room is your home away from home, so you’ll want to create a space for hanging out with friends. You can place a multi-functional gaming chair near your desk and add a bean bag chair for extra seating. A lamp with a smart light bulb will make the space even cozier when you’re watching movies.

Get comfortable while doing homework

Settling down to study can be difficult when your environment is distracting, but you can set yourself up for maximum productivity by adding decor to your desk area. A smart display can be used to play music to help you concentrate or be used to set reminders for when you need to leave for class. A desk organizer will keep your homework organized, and you can also add a little decor to make your space more inviting. A smart garden adds colour and life to your desk area and is the perfect way to add a little greenery to your dorm room. You can grow vegetables and flowers all year.

Dorm room tech and gadgets

The latest dorm room tech can enhance your creativity and help you be more productive every day.

2-in-1 laptop is a tablet too

Back to school is a great time to upgrade your laptop or choose one of the latest tablets and iPads. If you’d like to save space in your backpack you can choose a 2-in-1 laptop that’s a tablet. If you have a desktop computer, upgrading to one of the newest monitors can enhance graphics when gaming, double as a TV, and reduce eye strain when you spend hours staring at the screen.

Scanner and printer

Every student should have their own 3-in-1 printer, scanner, and copier. With your own printer, you don’t have to worry about whether you can find somewhere to print off a last-minute term paper.

It’s the little things that make your desk area productive too, so don’t forget your HDMI and power cables, surge protectors, and extra hard drives or storage devices for backing up your work.

Dorm room entertainment and recreation

When you’re away at school, downtime is just as important as homework. You can set yourself up for fun by bringing a few entertainment and recreation items.

Working out in your dorm room

It’s easy to set up a small personal gym in your dorm room. You can add a yoga mat, weights, and other small fitness equipment like kettlebells or a smart jump rope.

You can log a lot of miles when you’re walking between classes, and keeping track of your steps with a fitness tracker means you can stay healthy and fit when you’re away from home. A smartwatch or fitness tracker can also double as your wallet if you forgot yours back in your dorm room.

When you’re working out, you’ll want a set of fitness headphones or earbuds that are sweat-resistant, and you’ll stay hydrated by having a personal water bottle with you.

Streaming gear and content creator tools

Even if you’re busy with school every day, you can still create content for your streaming channel or share it with friends. Whether you’re sharing a game on your computer or you’re playing a musical instrument, there are a few content creator tools you can use to create custom content. Take along a streaming camera, tripod, video lighting, nano leaf panels, or LED lights to set the tone and more.

Best backpacks for college

How do you transport your laptop, textbooks, and all of your other tech gear? A versatile backpack or messenger bag is a must at college. It safely holds all of your gear and gives you the space to store everything you need for a busy day at school.

Dorm room kitchen and household essentials

When hunger hits at 2 am, you’ll want to be prepared to cook up whatever you’re craving. From nachos to pizza or a quick bowl of cereal, to help you cook in a small space your dorm room kitchen should include several small appliances.

Mini fridge to keep things cool

A mini-fridge stores milk, fruit, and more. Mini fridges are small and space-saving, and you can find models with freezers for your pint of ice cream too.

Stay in for coffee

Getting up in the morning is always easier with coffee. You’ll want to bring along a single-serve coffee maker or an espresso machine so your favourite hot drink is always close at hand.

Grill indoors with a mini-grill

Nothing tastes as good as grilled chicken, beef, or fresh vegetables. You can use a mini-grill in your dorm room to grill food or make a few late-night grilled panini sandwiches.

The toaster oven does double duty

To grill a small pizza, make morning toast, or warm up a pre-made meal, a toaster oven doubles as a food warmer and oven for baking. If you choose an air fryer and toaster oven combo, your toaster oven can also double as an air fryer to make great late-night snacks.

Cookers and steamers

Cooking in your dorm room is easy when you have a cooker or steamer. Some pressure cookers double as a rice cooker, slow cooker, and steamer so you can make every one of your favourite dishes.

Soda machines to make soda and bubbly water

If you find yourself craving soda but you don’t want to harm the environment by using up cans and plastic bottles, a soda machine is a great option. Soda machines let you make delicious soda or flavoured water in a reusable bottle, and you can make bottle after bottle of soda for less than what it costs to buy cans.

Fans, heaters, and air purifiers

If you can’t control the temperature in your dorm room, you’ll definitely want to bring along a fan and heater. A fan will keep your room cool when it’s warm outside and a heater to warm your room when it’s cold. An air purifier is also a must-have in a dorm room. It will clean the air so you don’t have to worry about allergens or pollutants while you study and sleep.

Vacuum cleaner

You might not have had a vacuum cleaner on your list of dorm room must-haves, but having one with you will help you keep every type of dorm room floor shiny and clean. The best dorm room vacuums are compact, cordless, and rechargeable so you don’t have to pull a cord around the room when you’re cleaning.

Laundry hampers and coat racks

Every square inch of space matters when you’re in a small dorm room, so having enough hangers for your clothes and a laundry hamper can keep your room neat and tidy. You should also add a coat rack to hang all of your jackets and outwear and a shoe organizer to keep your shoes lined up and ready to wear.

Storage containers 

Storage is important in a small space, and you can choose different storage containers to place extra food on top of cupboards or extra clothes under your bed.

Smart garbage cans

A smart garbage can is a dorm room must-have. This type of garbage can will open when you wave your hand in front of it, so you can have your hands full of food scraps or trash and you don’t have to touch the can.

Soap dispensers

Having a soap dispenser in your bathroom and kitchen means you always have soap on hand to wash your hands or your dishes. You can find smart soap dispensers that dispense soap with a wave of your hand.

Packing and moving supplies

You’ll need to move into your dorm room and you’ll also have to move out of it, so having packing and moving supplies on hand is a good idea to make the entire process quick and easy.

Outlet sales for students

Setting up a dorm room on a student budget can be hard, but you’ll find a lot of great deals at the outlet centre. From small appliances to computers and luggage, you can find the open box, refurbished items, and clearance prices that will suit every student’s budget. You can even order online and add a second address to ship to your dorm room.

---

Take the next step

All you need to get ready for fall is this ultimate dorm room checklist. You can shop online or in-store right now and find everything you need to elevate your dorm room space at Best Buy.