I originally wrote this post when my oldest was heading off to college after polling all my nieces, nephews and friends of the family. Now Peter has one more semester of senior year, Hannah is starting her last year and my youngest, Sean is going into sophomore year (yes that’s right, THREE in college at the same time, feel my pain 😅), so I’ve modified these college dorm guides to reflect what they truly recommend!!

In my informal polling, it’s interesting to me what are dorm room concerns to the gentlemen vs. the ladies. The guys – a comfy bed and a place for food. The ladies – that the room feels organized and aesthetically pleasing. No statement about man vs. woman here, but what it all boils down to as far as I can tell is that everyone wants their dorm room to have the comforts of home!

(Dorm rooms, they all look the same, don’t they??)

If you are heading to college or shipping off your kid sometime soon, here’s the guy’s function-over-form list we’ve culled together with our college-aged advisors. Check out the women’s dorm room essentials here!

Affiliate links are included in this post for your convenience. Read more about affiliate links here.

GUYS’ DORM ROOM ESSENTIALS

BEDDING

Pillows – you’ll need at least two for sleeping and lounging; keep in mind a dorm room is also a living room and those cinder block walls are not so comfy to lean against, so a big square Euro style pillow might be good for when the bed is a couch.

Mattress Encasement  – because how many people have slept on that mattress?? Bedbugs and other used mattress-grossness, eeew. I’m not a germaphobe, but seriously, zip that thing right up in impenetrable vinyl, thankyouverymuch.

Memory Foam Topper – dorm mattresses are not purchased for their comfortability, that is for sure. A foam topper will go a loooong way to making that skinny, hard mattress it little more comfy.

Mattress Pad – a deep-pocket mattress pad (15″+) will cover the encased mattress and the memory foam topper. It’s not necessary with the mattress encasement, but it does extend the life of the foam topper and unlike the foam, is washable. It also keeps the foam from sliding out of place and makes the memory foam a little cooler to sleep on.

Twin XL Sheet Sets – look for sheets with deep pockets to cover the mattress and topper. Some people find microfiber to be hot to sleep on, but generally speaking it doesn’t get pilly and holds up well. Make sure to get Twin XL sheets for most dorm beds, which are 5″ longer than regular twins.

Twin Quilt – we opted for a the quilt + comforter combination because Peter is going to school in Vermont and it’s all about layering in the four seasons of New England. This quilt is 100% cotton and a nice quality that will hopefully take lots of washes over the next few years.

Twin Lightweight Down Comforter – A good down comforter can be washed many times and makes a fall or winter bed so comfy and cozy!!

Twin Duvet Cover & Sham – there are so many pretty duvets out there for the ladies. A million. For guys, not so much. I looked for a darker or patterned one that could handle the occasional spill of Ramen noodles or cocoa until it makes it’s way into the wash (which I’m sure will not be frequent).

Note –I bought TWIN sized and not TWIN XL for the quilt, comforter and duvet because as opposed to sheets, here those few inches don’t matter, and you have so many more options with the basic twin size.

A few more great quilts and duvets for dorm living….

CLOTHES DE-WRINKLING

This topic turned out to be quite a conversation starter amongst my kids and their friends and cousins! These are their top recommendations.

Hand-Held Clothes Steamer – smaller and easier to store, and does the trick. All my college kids are forgoing an iron this year and taking steamers with them back to school. 

Peter’s favorite de-wrinkler that he uses literally every day….

Downy Wrinkle Releaser! – it also makes clothes smell a little fresher which in the case of a college male is definitely a MUST!

If your college kids is a traditionalist and likes a nice crisp shirt go with the tried and true method…

Iron and Tabletop (or more likely, floor!) Ironing Board – because burn marks on your dorm room floor from the iron is so not good.