Moving your kid into a college dorm is an emotional day. You are proud, slightly nervous, and juiced to get some peace and quiet at home, and yet somehow responsible for carrying a mini fridge up three flights of stairs while they reconnect with someone they met during orientation.
Once the bed is raised, the desk is moved and everyone agrees the rug “looks good there,” it is time to handle the smaller details. These six dorm room essentials from Acme Tools can help your student stay comfortable, organized and reasonably prepared after you leave campus.
And take it from someone who just graduated from college, these things can be the difference between life or death, especially in that first year.
1. Master Lock Portable Personal Safe
Your student may trust their roommate. That does not mean they know every person who will walk through the room.
The Master Lock 5900D Portable Personal Safe provides a secure place for cash, cards, keys and small electronics. Its cable can wrap around a fixed object, while the combination lock eliminates another key for your student to lose.
2. Vornado FLY MOVE Rechargeable Fan
If your dorm is anything like Smith Hall at the University of North Dakota, you’ll need some reliable airflow.
The Vornado FLY MOVE Rechargeable Fan offers three speeds and up to 17 hours of runtime per charge. It is compact enough for a crowded desk or nightstand and charges through USB-C.
You cannot control the dorm thermostat from home. This is probably the next-best option.
3. Shark Cyclone PET Handheld Vacuum
Your student is unlikely to call and tell you how often they vacuum. Depending on the student, you may not want to know. Generally, the community vacuum at the dorm is disgusting and never works.
The Shark Cyclone PET Handheld Vacuum weighs only 1.6 pounds and is USB rechargeable. It can quickly pick up crumbs, hair and dirt without taking up the limited storage space required by a full-size vacuum.
Whether it gets used regularly is now between your student and the floor.
4. 3M Command Large Satin Nickel Double Bath Hook
Your kids' dorm room will not have enough places to hang wet towels, robes or shower supplies.
The 3M Command Large Satin Nickel Double Bath Hook holds up to four pounds and uses a water-resistant strip that requires no drilling or screws. It works on surfaces such as tile, fiberglass, mirrors, painted walls and finished wood, making it useful in dorm bathrooms or on the back of a suitable door.
It is also rust-resistant and can be reused with Command Bath Large Refill Strips. Follow the installation directions and check campus housing rules before mounting it. Lots of colleges say using these are against the rules, I say take the risk.
5. YETI Rambler 26-Ounce Water Bottle
A dependable water bottle can follow your student from class to the gym, library, dining hall and a frat party.
The YETI Rambler 26-Ounce Water Bottle has a leak-resistant straw cap and an easy-carry handle. It is built for daily use and less likely to soak everything in a backpack than a half-closed disposable bottle. This thing is a tank.
Hydration may not guarantee good grades, but it certainly will not hurt.
6. YETI Camino Carryall 35
The YETI Camino Carryall 35 can carry laundry, groceries, shower supplies and weekend necessities. It is also useful on move-in day when you realize there are still six trips to make from the parking lot.
Unlike a flimsy laundry basket, the carryall can continue serving a purpose long after freshman year.
Send Them Off With the Right Gear
You cannot prepare your kid for every part of college. At some point, they will have to navigate early classes, questionable dining hall meals and laundry instructions on their own.
You can, however, help make their dorm room safer, cleaner and more comfortable. Shop these college dorm essentials at Acme Tools before move-in day, and try to leave campus without reorganizing their entire room one final time.
