Back to school is here, here’s what you need for move-in day and on-campus visits, according to these pros.

Going back to school as fall approaches is always full of promise and excitement; but another thing that seems like an inevitability is exposure to germs or even the condition of dorm room buildings themselves. “The dorms are petri dishes,” Amber says. “Everything, like the air if there's air conditioning—it's just big recycled air like an airplane. And if you're leaving your windows open and who knows what's coming in—the pesticides are spraying outside, it's just a very unhealthy air environment.”

To combat this, especially with flu season on the horizon, an air purifier is a non-negotiable for the Dorm Room Mamas. One in particular has taken up residence in Elise’s daughter’s dorm—the Shark NeverChange Air Purifier. 

“The NeverChange is really amazing because you literally never have to change the filter,” Elise shares. “What my daughter does is she basically takes it and just swiffers it, or like with her vacuum attachment and just vacuums it out a little bit—once a month—and and it's good to go. She rarely got sick last year, so I think that's a testament to how well it works. It's on year number two and seems to be still going strong.”

The NeverChange is designed to quietly work in the background, filtering up to 250 square feet within an hour timeframe. The lower decibel level keeps students focused on studies, and not the whirring of the machine at work. Its lights are also dimmable for nighttime usage. 

Four filter layers within the NeverChange are responsible for sucking out odors, pollution, allergens, and other airborne ickiness from an enclosed space. The first line of defense is the “Debris Defense” pre-filter to keep out larger particles, while the “Pet Particle” barrier makes sure to capture any dust or dander that falls through. An activated carbon layer follows, neutralizing odors and purifying air, before the Nanoseal Anti-allergen HEPA filter makes sure the coast is all clear from microparticulate matter before the machine outputs fresh air. You can monitor progress and air quality with the CleanSense IQ screen as it runs.

An air purifier can’t do all the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping a dorm room fresh—and this vacuum is a longtime favorite of the Dorm Room Mamas duo. “I discovered this Bissell vacuum. It is super inexpensive; it’s under $40,” Amber states. “It is a miracle worker.”

The beauty of this vacuum’s 3-in-1 design is that it leaves no stone unturned when your student is cleaning up. It can quickly convert from an upright vacuum that can be pushed around a room, to a handheld to get into tight spaces. It’s equipped to handle different kinds of surfaces, helpful for hardwoods, vinyl, carpet, rugs, tile, and any other space that needs tidying up. The motorized brush roll sweeps up dust, dirt, crumbs, and general messes with ease. “We’ll pick up large items as well as small items [with it],” Amber states.  

Since dorms are pretty tight spaces, especially when shared amongst multiple people, it’s helpful that this vacuum’s slim, 4-pound design can be easily stored away when not in use. When it’s time for upkeep (especially before parents come to visit), the 15-foot cord will help them cover every square inch of space. 

It’s likely that your student’s new best friend on campus is going to be caffeine, helping them power through late-night study sessions and early 8 am morning classes. However, trips to the coffee shop can get costly, quickly. Instead, the Keurig K-Express Essentials Plus has become a staple for the Dorm Room Mamas. “My kids are huge coffee drinkers, so I highly encourage them to use it instead of using their meal swipes at Starbucks or Dunkin’,” Elise shares. 

This K-cup coffeemaker follows the usual premise of Keurig machines, where you pop in a pod of your preferred beverage, and the machine takes care of the rest. The removable reservoir holds up to 36 ounces, or about three cups (or one very large iced coffee, depending on who’s using it). Its pre-programmed brew sizes include 6 ounces, 8 ounces, and 10 ounces. Remove the drip tray, and it will fit travel mugs to take to class with them.

The 4.5-pound coffeemaker also has a small footprint that according to Elise, “doesn’t take up that much space” at 12.2 inches high and 6.5 inches wide. The best part though? “You have the dual functionality of the hot and the cold,” Elise says. “You’re not limited to just hot drip coffee, but iced coffee as well.” An automatic temperature adjustment setting is built into the coffeemaker to help maximize flavor (and caffeine) while brewing. This setting also helps to make sure iced drinks stay iced, and not watered down. 

While an icemaker may not seem like a dorm room appliance that’s at the very top of the to-do list, the Dorm Room Mamas swear the Paris Hilton Portable Ice Maker has been the absolute best for their own children after years of testing it in action. “I think we’ve owned maybe five over the years,” Elise states.

Between making iced coffees to-go or getting iced water bottles together, the noise level is discreet enough to not become a noise complaint amongst roommates. As Elise shares, “All the other ones [we tried] were very noisy and distracting. When you have two roommates and maybe one of them brought [the ice machine] and the other didn’t, you can see there could be arguments about ‘do we really need this ice machine? It’s so loud and disturbing.’”

This is definitely not the case with the Paris Hiton Portable Ice Maker. “We ran it in our house over the summer, and it was so quiet, we totally forgot about it. We had my daughter’s other one from last year also running as a comparison; night and day. It is just so much quieter than every other one we’ve ever had,” says Elise.