16 Apartment Essentials for College Students Moving In

Are you about to go to college? If you will be moving to another city and into your very own apartment, alone or with a friend, you should take a moment to get ready for this new adventure.

There are a number of essentials you should have, whether you have to buy new items or to bring something you already own with you. You’ll want to stock up on these essentials in your student apartments to make your day-to-day life more comfortable.

To help you get started with your preparations, use this list of apartment essentials for college students as a reference guide:

Essential #1: College apartment furniture

In any list of apartment essentials for college students, furniture should always be a top priority. Unless you will be moving into a furnished apartment, you will need to gather some furniture for your bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen. You will at least need a table and chairs, a couch, a bed with a mattress, a bedside table, and a desk with a comfortable chair.

Essential #2: Bedding

Whether you are sleeping on your very own mattress, or on a mattress that came with your apartment, you will need some bedding: a mattress topper, sheets, a blanket, pillows, and pillow cases. You should have a least two sets of bedding to make things easier on laundry day.

Essential #3: Good curtains or blinds

If the window of your new bedroom already has curtains or blinds, you won’t have to worry about it. But if you are someone who needs total darkness to be able to sleep well, you should invest in good curtains or blinds that will block out the light.

Essential #4: Bath towels

You probably won’t need to add any furniture to your bathroom, but you are doing to need some essential items to make it more functional. You will need at least a few bath towels, washcloths, and hand towels. Don’t forget a bath mat and a shower curtain with rings and a liner.

Essential #5: Storage bins

Even if your apartment is fully furnished, you could be in need of some additional storage space. Get a few storage bins to store off season clothes, your extra set of bedding, and anything else you won’t be using every single day.

Essential #6: Many clothes hangers

Even if you feel like you don’t have that many clothes to hang in your closet, don’t underestimate the amount of clothes hangers you will need. It’s best to have too many of them than not enough.

Essential #7: A hamper

If you’re going to live with roommates, you will probably not all share the same hamper or laundry bag. And even if you’re going to live alone, it’s not a good idea to leave all your dirty clothes in a corner of your bedroom. Get your own hamper so no one has to see your dirty laundry.

Essential #8: A foldable drying rack

Speaking of your laundry, it could be a good idea to add a foldable drying rack to your list of apartment essentials. A foldable rack is easy to store when you’re not using it, and it will allow you to hang your clothes if they need to air dry, or if you don’t feel like using a dryer.

Essential #9: A space heater and a fan

If you’re going to live with roommates, you might not all have the same heating and cooling needs. You might want to own a small space heater to keep you warm during the winter, and a fan too keep you cool when it gets hot outside.

Essential #10: A power strip

You never know how many outlets you will have access to in your new bedroom. For this reason, you should bring a power strip with many outlets, or at least an extension cord so you can access an outlet hidden behind furniture.

Essential #11: A mirror

Even though there will certainly be a mirror in your bathroom, you should consider having one in your bedroom as well. Whether it’s a full-length mirror or a small one, you will be able to check your hair or your outfit, or to do your makeup in your room.

Essential #12: Plastic or glass containers

Plastic or glass containers are perfect to keep dry ingredients, but also to keep leftovers. When you live in your first apartment, you will probably be happy to reheat leftovers instead of cooking something new for every meal.

Essential #13: Dishes and kitchen tools

Your kitchen will need to be stocked with plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, and utensils. You should also have a microwave oven, a toaster, a kettle, a blender, pots, pans, and any other kitchen tool you might want to use.

Essential #14: Cleaning supplies

No one wants to live in an apartment that is constantly dirty. Get some cleaning supplies such as paper towels, a multi-surface cleaner, dish sponges and soap, toilet bowl cleaner, a plunger, and more. Fabric refresher can also be a good idea.

Essential #15: Trash and recycling bins

Every apartment needs trash and recycling bins. You should ideally have big ones in your kitchen, and smaller ones in the bathroom and in bedrooms.

Essential #16: Toilet paper

This may seem like an obvious thing to add to a moving checklist, but you should make sure you don’t forget to bring some toilet paper, as well as paper tissues. Of course, you can still go out and buy some if you forgot, but moving into your new apartment will be more simple with these essentials.