If you’re packing up and heading to college in the fall, first things first—you’ll need to bring plenty of masks and hand sanitizer. Regardless of whether your university holds in-person lectures or online courses, one thing remains a constant—you will still need to pack all the essential items needed for dorm room living.
You already know to bring plenty of clothes and school supplies, but what about everyday appliances to help fill out your dorm? You probably won’t have a full kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on cooking in-between classes. There are a handful of helpful smaller appliances that will fit nicely in your living space to create a makeshift kitchen and save you from indulging in fast food or making countless trips back and forth to the dining hall.
Before you move in, check with your college or university to see what products are allowed and start the school year off right with these five essential dorm room appliances.
Compact Refrigerator (AKA: Mini-Fridge)
One of the most common apartment or dorm room appliances is, of course, the compact refrigerator. When the campus cafeteria menu becomes too stale and exhausted, you’ve got a compact cooling appliance to keep fresh grocery items perfectly chilled. Whether you need to store study snacks or energy drinks to get through midterm season, this stainless-steel compact fridge from GE will pass the test.
This appliance offers a large compact capacity—measuring at 5.6 cu. ft. with an Energy Star certification. If you want your dorm mini-fridge out on display or neatly tucked away, it comes with built-in or freestanding capability—allowing for flexible undercounter installation.
If you’re up studying past nightfall, the interior light makes it easy to see the contents inside your fridge and 2 easy-to-clean glass shelves allow for seamless and convenient food storage. This appliance also comes with a drink rack to keep your beverages organized and a clear crisper drawer for storing fruits and veggies.
And when you don’t need your fridge for storage, grab some magnets and use it as a reminder board. Leave yourself notes for exam times, grocery lists, laundry day, and so on. It’s one of the many ways a compact refrigerator can help you chill out.
Countertop Microwaves
Frozen burritos and noodle cups are essential food groups for any college student—so, when you need a quick meal or a fast reheat before sprinting out the door for class, a microwave will get you through the semester. Especially if you don’t have access to an oven or stove, you’ll learn to rely on your microwave.
This countertop microwave oven from GE Profile comes with sensor cooking controls to automatically adjust time and power for delicious cooking results every time. The weight and time defrost setting make heating frozen foods easier than ever—simply check the packaging on your food to locate the weight and enter the exact weight amount. The microwave oven will automatically set the optimal defrosting time and power level or give you the option to set your own desired time. This way, you can come to expect thorough cooking results without those dreaded cold spots in the middle.
Additional features include a digital display clock and kitchen timer to keep you on track when you’re running late, a glass turntable for even cooking results, express cook for rapid heating when you’ve overslept, and sensor cooking controls including beverage, popcorn, reheat, and vegetable. So, whether you need to reheat the coffee pot for an all-night study session, or you want to heat some popcorn for a movie marathon with your roommates, you’ll be set with your dorm room microwave.
Coffee or Espresso Maker
Caffeine is a must-have for anyone starting college, and whether you take a regular black cup of joe or you need something with a little more kick, we have the right appliance for you. A coffee or espresso maker is a given for those sluggish mornings when yoga, green smoothies, and ice-cold showers just won’t do the trick. Dorm room coffee makers are generally affordable and easy to store and clean, making it an appropriate appliance for any student on a budget or anyone with little storage space.
If you need a boost to survive long hours at the library or something to get your energy up in the morning, this countertop coffee machine from Miele is one of the best coffee makers for college. In perfect harmony with perfect coffee—this machine provides the grinder, brew unit, and pump. The OneTouch and OneTouch for Two functions allow you to make one or two servings at the touch of a button with specialized brewing options including espresso, coffee, long coffee, ristretto, cappuccino, latté macchiato, cafe latté, hot milk, and milk froth.
And when you’re brewing coffee for houseguests or your entire study group, the coffee and teapot function produces up to eight cups of coffee at a time. It’s almost time for class, so wake up and smell the coffee with Miele.
Portable Electric Grill
If you’re going to a powerhouse sports program, having a grill for tailgating is almost a rite of passage. Or, if it’s a beautiful day on campus and you want to enjoy the ambiance and sit down to a nice meal without having to dine out, open your balcony door and plug in your portable electric grill.
Using a smaller college dorm room appliance doesn’t mean sacrificing the quality of the product—an electric grill is a great example of that. This electric grill from Weber is porcelain-enameled and comes with cast-iron cooking grate. The lid and body are made of cast aluminum with a glass-reinforced nylon frame.
And when it comes to cooking performance, this appliance can handle any hotdog, burger, or steak you throw on the grill. The removable catch pan collects any fat or drippings from the grill for a seamless and effective cleanup. Infinite heat control settings and heat retention liners allow you to easily adjust the temperature and trap heat inside to ensure even and complete cooking results. Whether it’s game day or barbecue day, let Weber lead the instruction in all things grilling.
Vacuum
Now this isn’t a cooking appliance—correct you are, but when you leave crumbs all over the floor or in the couch cushions, you’ll need something to clean up the mess. Whether the floors in your dorm are carpet, hardwood, or laminate, you must have the best floor care option to keep your small living space clean and welcoming—especially the morning after you host a party.
Vacuums for college dorms are a must-have item, and stick vacuum cleaners from Miele provide high suction power for thorough and consistent cleaning performance. The suction tubes are height-adjustable which makes it a perfect option for vacuuming under tables, sofas, and other hard-to-reach pieces of furniture. With an ergonomic double slide switch, the power level is clear and legible and can be manually operated before or during vacuuming.
In a small living space, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting caught and changing outlets, this vacuum provides an operating radius of nearly 30 ft. It has a slim, easy-to-store compact design and multi-stage filtration system to ensure clean hair while vacuuming so you can always breathe easy.
A temperature liner prevents overheating and a gentle start motor gradually increases the power so you don’t overwork the appliance. You don’t need a master’s in engineering to use a vacuum, you just need a Miele.
Appliance Bonus: Wine Cooler or Kegerator
If you’re an upperclassman, transfer student, or graduate student who is of drinking age and lives off-campus in their own place, then cheers to you. For the avid entertainer or those who enjoy a nice cold one, you need the ultimate freestanding kegerator from Danby Appliances. If you like the sophisticated aesthetic of sipping on a fine glass of wine, then you should check out the wine reserve from Monogram.
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Now that you’ve got all your handy appliances ready, it’s time to pack up the car and head to your first day of college. And if you need any assistance finding the right products, brands, or sizes for your dorm room appliances, give us a call or visit us at Albert Lee to shop our entire collection of small appliances. We can’t help you study, but we’ve got straight A’s in all thing’s appliances. Visit us today.