Updated for the 2016-2017 school year! See our new suggestions here or check out our Healthy Dorm Room Checklist. School is almost back in session. Whether you’re heading off to college, going back after summer, or sending your child off for the first time—there are some things that make the experience much smoother. Most dorm packing lists cover the basics, but they don’t take into account items that can help you feel more comfortable in your home away from home. Plus, if you suffer from allergies or asthma, you have more to think about, not knowing what symptom triggers await you. To help you (or your studious son or daughter) create a healthier, more comfortable dorm room, check out our list of must-have products. Many dorms lack central air conditioning. Other dorms have it, but it might not be powerful enough to cool you during the late summer months and you might not have control over the thermostat. A great stand-in, a compact table fan fits easily on your bedside table, window sill, or desk to circulate a gentle breeze that cools you and keeps your space refreshed while you hit the books.

Our Pick: The new Vornado VFan Jr. Air Circulator is a top customer pick. Its vintage design and multiple color options make it a common choice for dorm rooms. It’s also small enough to fit on a table or desk, but durable enough to survive the dorms. Dorm life isn’t exactly hotel life. You’ll have to do some cleaning. Luckily, most dorm rooms have either smooth flooring or low-pile carpeting that doesn’t require a heavy full-size vacuum for effective dirt pick-up (where would you store it anyway?). Lightweight and compact enough to tuck into a closet or hang on a wall hook, stick vacs make quick work of cleaning up dirt, crumbs, and other dry messes that always seem to appear out of nowhere. Our Pick: The bagless Dyson V6 Cordless Stick Vacuum is a game changer. Powerful suction quickly removes dirt, debris, and dust from your floors and furniture. It weighs less than 5 pounds with a battery that lasts 20 minutes, which is more than enough time to clean your dorm room.

Other cool features are a Boost mode for tough clean-ups, 2 attachments for tight spaces, and — best of all — it converts into a handheld to clean around your computer or the inside of your car. Many dorm rooms are situated in older buildings that inevitably seem to have a signature musty smell. air care solutions air duct cleaningThis odor permeates your room, closet, clothing, bedding, and more. spider plants for cleaning airIt can be a sign of high humidity and unhealthy mold and mildew. blu ray vs dvd lens cleanerA mini dehumidifier fights musty odors and absorbs excess moisture in the air to eliminate mold and mildew growth. Best of all: It won’t take up valuable space in your room. Our Pick: The Eva-Dry EDV-1100 Mini Dehumidifier uses renewable eco-friendly silica gel crystals to absorb moisture and neutralize musty odors in small spaces like closets, cabinets, wardrobes, bathrooms, and your tiny dorm room.

If you’re plagued by allergies or asthma, consider bringing along a compact HEPA air purifier. It’s nearly impossible to predict what kind of allergens you’ll be up against in your new home. A HEPA air purifier, or High Efficiency Particulate Air purifier, filters out over 99% of microscopic dust, pollen, ragweed, mold, and other particles floating around your space. If you’re worried about taking up too much space, then consider the Germ Guardian AC4900. It’s super compact, has HEPA filtration, and uses 3 purification speeds. A must for allergy-sufferers, allergy bedding protects you from the most common bedroom allergy trigger—dust mites. Exposure to these microscopic organisms can cause sneezing, runny nose, headaches, watery eyes, and other cold-like symptoms that are hard to beat day after day. Dust mite covers zip around your pillow and mattress to stop dust mites from infiltrating your cozy bed, so you can get a better night’s rest. Our Pick: The Protect-A-Bed Student Bedding Kit was designed specifically for college students.

Dorm beds can be a hot spot for allergens and bed bugs, so keep this kit close. It fits the standard dorm room bed (twin XL) and includes a mattress encasement, basic mattress protector, and premium pillow protector. Unlike most allergy bedding, these pieces all are breathable and cool, so your child will be comfortable all night. When winter hits, your dorm room can quickly turn into an icebox with moisture-sapped air that spawns dry skin, dry breathing passages, and an uncomfortable scratchy throat. Pick up a compact space heater and a humidifier to keep you toasty and help you breathe easier during harsh winter temps. Space Heater: The compact Honeywell Cool Touch Oscillating Energy Smart Heater fits snugly on your desk or beside your bed and features 4 heat settings as well as an Energy Smart mode to conserve power. Before you buy, be sure to check if your dorm has restrictions against using space heaters. Humidifier: The lightweight Crane Cube Humidifier injects near 1 gallon of comfortable moisture into your air each day, helping you breathe easier.

Its compact design won’t compromise your space, and easy manual controls take the guesswork out of operation. Aroma Diffuser: Air can get stagnant and smelly during the winter. Air fresheners are bad for your indoor air quality, especially in tight areas like a dorm room. Use the small but bright (it’s available in 6 color options) Stadler Form Jasmine to spread around your favorite scents. Here’s to a happy (and productive) fall semester! What are your must-haves for a more comfortable or allergy-friendly dorm room? If you want more suggestions, check out our healthy dorm room checklist!We know, we can’t believe it either. It’s time to start thinking about the stuff you’ll need to start yet another school year. Don’t lose your head though — we’ve got you covered this year. Rather than boring you with a bunch of essentials you already have, we’ve compiled a list of all the gear that will elevate your collegiate experience to the next level. This isn’t stuff that you need, but it’s definitely stuff you want. 

Trust us, it’ll make dorm life considerably easier. Studio Banana Things Ostrich Pillow ($100) This thing was practically invented for college students. You’re going to be pulling a lot of all-nighters, and not all of them will be in your dorm room, so you never really know where you might need to take a nap. With this badboy, you can snooze anywhere. It’s essentially a 3D pillow that fits all around your head like a padded skull sock, so no matter what awkward position you fall asleep in at the library, you’ll be comfortable. Never mind the fact that it makes you look like a complete tool — you’ll be too blissfully unconscious to notice all the people laughing at you while you use it. Swash express clothing care system ($500) Swash is essentially a slim, ultra-compact steam closet that’s designed to clean and revitalize your clothes in just 10 minutes at the push of a button. Because screw carrying your laundry down six flights of stairs just to wait in line behind 1,000 other dirty college kids trying to wash their clothes.

Life is short, and you don’t have time for that, so you need something like Swash. It won’t completely save you from the laundromat, but it’ll extend the wearability of your clothes and elongate the period of time your garments can go between washings. Secura Duxtop Sensor Touch Portable Induction Cooktop ($70) Don’t feel like choking down the horrible food at your school’s cafeteria? Get yourself an induction cooktop and make food in the comfort of your own room. You’ll want to check up on your university’s dorm policies before doing this, but in our experience most have very specific rules against hot plates, microwaves, and toaster ovens — but induction hobs aren’t mentioned. These cooktops are cool because they don’t actually heat up an element, and instead use electromagnetism to heat your pan directly, so they’re less likely to burn down your residence hall if something goes wrong. ErgoTron WorkFit-T standing desk converter ($400) Standing desks are the bee’s knees, but chances are pretty good that your dorm room is already equipped with a desk that you can’t remove or replace.

So what’s the remedy? Get yourself one of these nifty add-ons. Instead of replacing your desk entirely, these things act like transforming laptop pads that lift your computer/keyboard up a few feet, making it possible to stand up while you work. You wouldn’t believe what this does for your productivity — not to mention your overall health and wellbeing. Philips Wake-up Light ($70) Waking up on time and making it to class is only half the battle. Showing up awake and alert is arguably just as important, which is precisely why you need a wake-up light. You might not realize it, but certain wavelengths of light help tell your brain to stop producing melatonin in the morning — which makes it drastically easier to wake up and get past that “zombie” phase before you head out to class. If used in conjunction with copious amounts of coffee, you might actually make the dean’s list this semester.  Neato Botvac robot vacuum ($400 – $500) Sure, you could probably save 400 bucks and just pick up a broom/dustpan combo at the nearest Walmart, but lets be real here — between all the organic chemistry exams, intramural volleyball games, keg stands, waking up at noon, and wearing pajamas to class;

you’re not going to have the time, energy, or motivation to sweep your floor. Instead, you should just admit that you’re a slob and buy a robot that can pick up all the dirt, debris, and stray weed crumbs for you. This little bot from Neato is smarter, faster, and drastically cheaper than an entry-level Roomba, so we highly recommend it. Read our full review here. Philips Hue Connected Bulb Starter Pack ($200) If you have the ability to swap out the lights in your dorm, put in some Hue bulbs. You won’t regret it. Not only will you be able to turn them on or off remotely, you’ll be able to adjust the lighting to different temperatures. Settings with more blue wavelengths will help you stay awake and alert during long study sessions, whereas warmer yellow light will help you relax and wind down. And of course, when you find yourself smack in the middle of an impromptu dorm-room dance party, the bulbs can be set to cycle through the entire spectrum of visible light, and even be synced to music with the help of the right smartphone apps.

Read our full review here. Dyson AM07 Tower Fan ($320) Truth be told, any old fan will do, but this one is awesome. Dyson has put a ridiculous amount of R&D into this this thing, so it works like a dream and will last your for years and years even under relentless use. Thanks to Dyson’s obsessive engineering, it’s fairly quiet for a fan, but it can still get loud enough to drown out the sound of your neighbors playing Madden at full volume at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday, which is definitely something you want. White noise is a keystone of any successful shared living arrangement. Honeywell HPA250B air purifier with Bluetooth smart controls ($250) Dorm rooms are basically oversized Petri dishes with beds and power outlets. No matter who you room with or how clean you try to be, your room is pretty much guaranteed to be filled with odors, allergens, and communicable diseases over the course of your stay — which is exactly why you need a good, reliable air purifier. This one from Honeywell is equipped with a small Bluetooth radio, so it can communicate with your smartphone (available for iOS and Android) to gather data about pollen and other allergens, and then use it to adjust the fan/filter accordingly.