The time has come, ladies. Summer as flown by (has it ever not?!) and a new school year is quickly approaching. If you’ve procrastinated packing (or even if you’re way ahead of the game,) here are 10 things you may want to bring hat will help ensure you have an easier and less stressful year!
1.)Extra-long phone charger. This is a must-have considering you never know where the outlet in your dorm room is going to be. If you’re lucky, it will be right near your bed so you can still do late-night Instagram stalking while charging your phone, but, more often than not, the outlet is sneakily tucked away in a corner. I recommend a 3ft charger, which you can easily get here on Amazon
2.)Paper towels. Even though you’re not eating full meals or doing a ton of dishes in your dorm room, there will still be spills that need to be cleaned up. Having a roll of paper towels nearby saves you from running down the hallway when your nail polish spills all over your comforter or you accidentally spill your tea on the clean carpet
3.) Eye mask. As someone who goes to bed at 10:30 almost every night, my eye mask was my saving grace. My roommate would have activities until late at night, so instead of making her navigate the room in the dark, I would leave some lights on and slip on my eye mask so I wasn’t disturbed. It’s definitely a win-win for everyone!
4.) Plastic silverware: Although it isn’t environmentally-friendly, it’s a heck of a lot easier than having to haul all of your spoons and forks to the communal bathroom and to try and wash them in an automatic sink that holds like 3 drops of water. Accept your likely lack of domestic cleaning motivation and invest in them, seriously.
5.) Extra underwear. Bring more underwear than you think you need: I’m not sure if it’s just me (it isn’t, I’m almost 100% sure,) but I run out of clean underwear like it’s nobody’s business. I recommend that you bring 5 extra pairs, just so you aren’t stuck on a Friday morning deciding whether to wash your underwear in the shower or go commando.
6.) Vacuum: It doesn’t have to be the huge one your mom lugs around your house, but just a simple one that can clean up the crumbs from your late-night snacking or the hair that accumulates so quickly on your carpet, and believe me it accumulates. I recommend the Swivel Sweeper, which you can get on Amazon, although it probably won’t come with these cute dogs.
7.) Tide-To-Go. It’s small and easy to carry around, so when you spill tomato sauce on your brand new white shirt, you’re good to go. Get it? To go?
8.) Air Freshener. For some reason, there were days when I would walk into my dorm room and it would reek of some terrible stench from God knows where. All you do is spray a quick spritz of Febreeze and your room smells as fresh as a daisy, or fresh linens, or Christmas cookies, depending on your scent of choice.
9.) Extra tampons. This may seem like an obvious thing to bring, but with classes and homework and activities, you may not have time to run to CVS and grab another box. Either you’re left begging your roommate to use some of her stash, or you’re prepared with the extra box you brought.
10.) Wrinkle Release Spray. There is nothing worse than having to go to a career fair or something that requires a nice outfit, and realizing that your shirt is so wrinkled you can’t wear it. Downy has an awesome wrinkle release spray that is way more affordable and dorm-friendly than an iron and ironing board!
Good luck packing, everyone! Hopefully you’ll remember to bring these 10 things along with everything else you need to pack!