4 Must Have College Dorm Bedding Essentials

Dorm Bedding Essentials – 4 Must Have Products to Make Your Dorm Bed Cozy

If you don’t get anything else for your dorm room, make sure to get these 4 dorm bedding essentials that will turn the sad little dorm mattress into a comfy oasis! If you are shopping for college students or are a college student, these are must-have dorm room essentials.

This post is about dorm bedding essentials and the 4 products you need to turn your dorm bed into an incredibly comfortable and cozy bed for your college year.

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If you are getting college ready, we have a whole section of the blog dedicated to you!

This includes the best laptop computers on a budget, as well as mother & daughter approved dorm room essentials, including the best TV for a dorm room. Be sure to check it out!

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Dorm Room Essentials

There are lots of great lists of college dorm essentials or college essentials, which are very helpful when you are getting ready to head to college, especially for your freshman year.

We learned, however, that those lists can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. We also learned that sometimes less is more, because many things were either not used or there was not enough space for them. Dorm rooms are tiny!

Of all those items, we have learned there are some that are truly essential. One of these areas of must have products in particular are the products for your dorm bed.

That sad little mattress that your school provides (and that so many students have used before you – ack!) is not comfort at its finest, or comfort at all, really. But we can make that bed a comfy oasis before you know it so you can be sure to get a good night’s sleep.

Dorm Bed Dimensions

If you haven’t ventured into the world of dorm life, dorm beds and dorm room dimensions yet, here is what you need to know.

The mattresses on a dorm bed are Twin XL size. This is important to know when you are getting fitted sheets because regular sheets won’t fit it correctly and the sheet will pop off the mattress.

We don’t know about you, but whenever that happens to us, we feel feral in our hatred of it.

What we also learned is that you need several items to make that dorm mattress sanitary (because again, all those prior users in the freshman dorms!) and comfortable.

Dorm Bedding Essentials – Visual Reference

It helped us tremendously to visualize all the things we needed and how they work together, so we made a little visual reference for you! Here is how all these pieces work together.

We have these components broken down below, and everything listed is linked in our storefront!

Disclaimer: We have included affiliate links for convenience and ease of reference. If products are purchased via these links, a small commission will be received, at no extra cost to the buyer.

Dorm Bedding Essentials

Now that you have the visual to give you the idea of how to layer a dorm bed, here are some links to the 4 products you need.

1. Zippered Mattress Encasement

The zippered mattress encasement, or mattress protector, is first, and you wrap it around the mattress to serve as a protective layer. We linked here the one we used, and there are more options linked in our storefront. For this step, we think the mattress encasements are all quite similar, so cost effective options are just as effective as the more expensive ones.

2. Mattress Topper

Next up is the mattress topper. We dare say this is the most important layer for the dorm bed, in terms of comfort. We recommend that you don’t skimp on this one! There are several to choose from, but we really love the high quality of the Lucid brand of toppers. There are gel-infused memory foam options as well, if that is your preference.

The 3 inch memory foam mattress topper was the sweet spot for us. It provided plenty of cushion and comfort while still being a good size to be able to fit the mattress pad and sheets. The four-inch memory foam mattress topper made it a bit hard to get the bedding to fit correctly – and you already know how we feel when the fitted sheet snaps off the mattress!

*Move-in day tip* The topper comes shrink wrapped and it is much easier to transport that way! Most of the time you are only given a short window of time to get the room set up. It takes a little while for the topper to gain its shape so take the shrink wrap off as soon as you get in the dorm room. Spend some time setting up other things in the room so it has time to expand. Once you have everything else set up the mattress topper should be fully expanded and then you can finish the bed!

3. Mattress Pad

The mattress pad wraps over the mattress topper and mattress like a fitted sheet. It adds another layer of comfort and padding and really makes the bed cozy. We prefer the quilted kind since it is a great way to get an extra layer with some extra padding and cushion on those hard dorm room beds.

4. Sheet Set

Now that you have the mattress encasement zipped around the dorm mattress, the mattress topper on that, and the mattress pad put over the mattress topper, you are ready for your twin xl sheet sets! These typically include complete bedding sets with fitted sheets as well as the flat sheets that kids no longer seem to use.

There are lots of material options available, depending on your sheet preference. We love cotton sheets and have those linked here, but more types are available on our storefront.

Grab at least two sheet sets so they can have a clean pair to put on the bed when they have laundry day, or if something spills on it!

Bonus Section – Comforter & Pillows

Now the fun part – you have gotten all the necessary things to make a dorm bed super pillowy and comfy, so now you can get the comforter or duvet you want, as well as your favorite pillows to get the dorm room decor and look you want.

Duvet

A duvet cover with duvet insert is a great way to get the exact look you want for your dorm room or bedroom. Find the perfect fit for your personal style or college dorm room aesthetic!

Comforter

You can get a Twin XL comforter and there are lots of different colors to choose from, whether you want vibrant colors or a more muted aesthetic. You might want to get a larger sized comforter (full or queen) so that it has a little extra size to hang over the side of the bed to add to the luxurious look of your dorm room, plus the extra coziness.

Pillow

Finding a good pillow is such a quest. There are so many variations to choose from, but a memory foam pillow always seems like a good idea. The perfect pillow always seems so hard to find, but once you score a great pillow they are so nice to settle in with and get great quality sleep.

We have everything you need linked in our storefront, so check out all the options there for all your dorm room bedding needs or dorm bedding necessities.

If you are looking for a great gift idea for an incoming freshman who wants to have the dorm shopping experience, an easy purchase of gift cards to Bed Bath & Beyond or a similar store will be all you have to do.

Direct them to read this post so they know the stuff they need to buy to kick off their college years, and let them go!

Looking for more graduation and college prep ideas? Check out our unique graduation gift guide, shop for the perfect white graduation dress, and be inspired to take amazing cap and gown photos just using your smartphone!

If you are getting college ready, we have a whole section of the blog dedicated to you!

This includes the best laptop computers on a budget, as well as mother & daughter approved dorm room essentials, including the best TV for a dorm room. Be sure to check it out!

We hope this post on the 4 dorm bedding essentials was helpful! Best of luck to you or your favorite graduate!

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