Dorm room beds aren’t comfortable, and no one pretends otherwise. They’re just part of the experience you expect from college dorming. My son didn’t give the dorm bed or the room itself a lot of thought before we got to campus. I, on the other hand, spent the summer gathering IKEA bags full of gear in preparation for move-in day. My son’s attitude changed once we arrived on campus and he got his first look at his assigned room—the concrete block walls, the window opening onto an air vent, and the depressing waterproof dorm mattress in its naked state. I discovered the dorm bedrooms and shared spaces in Mindy Kaling’s television show were a huge step up from where my son would be living for the next year.

As he stood frozen, I went into overdrive. First, I put the bed frame up on risers to maximize under-the-bed storage space. Then I found the duffel bag that contained the college dorm bedding kit and got the bed made as quickly as possible. The kit includes a twin-size feather bed, waterproof mattress pad, down and feather pillow, zippered pillow protector, and down comforter. The entire room felt cozier once the bed was fully made. I think that’s when we both started breathing again.

Sufficient, quality sleep is essential to overall health and wellness. That remains true in college, where students, who may be on their own for the first time, get busy with classes, work, and socializing. My son realized how good he had it with his dorm bedding kit once he made friends, and they began hanging out in each other’s rooms. The compliments I’m told his bed received for its comfort and coziness made me oddly happy. His bed certainly couldn’t be blamed for any loss of sleep during his freshman year.

At the end of the year, I asked him to take some photos so I could share the steps to make a dorm bed with anyone considering a college dorm bedding kit. He then packed everything back into the black duffel bag the kit comes in and brought it home (where I promptly washed it all, including the duffel). When the time came for him to return to school for his sophomore year, he was on his own. 

Simple Steps to Make a Dorm Room Bed Feel Like Home

The dorm room bedding kit contains all the elements that go on top of an extra-large dorm room mattress to make it comfy, before you get to the sheets.

Step 1. The Feather Bed

As you can see from the “before” picture, dorm mattresses are thin, stiff, and covered in plastic. Feather beds may seem like luxury or something you’d find only in European hotels; however, they’re the perfect addition to a mattress that leaves something to be desired but can’t be replaced. They put a cozy layer between your student and a mattress that has been through some things. 

Place the feather bed over the mattress, making sure the corners are aligned. Step one is complete.

Step 2. The Mattress Pad

Feather beds should be protected with waterproof mattress pads as feather beds do require some effort to launder. We recommend a waterproof mattress pad for the beds of our hospitality and home customers as they maintain the hygiene of the bed by protecting the featherbed and mattress from the slobbering and sweating we all do every night, as well as from spills and accidents.

That’s why the next item you’ll pull from the kit is our lily pads® waterproof mattress pad. Place it on top of the feather bed and pull the attached elastic anchor bands around the corners of the mattress to keep the pad and feather bed from sliding.

Step 3. The Fitted Sheet

Place the classic fresh twin XL fitted sheet, or whichever sheet you’ve purchased, on top of the mattress pad. Tuck each corner around the mattress and pull tight. The fitted sheet, pillowcase, and comforter cover are not included with the dorm room bedding kit, but they can be purchased from down etc, in addition to the college dorm room bedding kit, or your student can choose their own sheets in whatever color and design suits them. Dorm beds are typically bigger than regular twin beds so be sure to choose a fitted sheet that is extra-long.

Steps 4 and 5. The Pillow, Pillow Protector, and Pillowcase

Cover the included standard sized rhapsody wrap white goose down and white goose feather pillow preassembled in a zippered pillow protector with a standard-sized classic fresh pillowcase or the pillowcase of your choice. Whether it's a hotel room, a dorm room, or your home, pillows should be placed in zippered pillow protectors to maintain their hygiene. We love pillows so we recommend adding as many pillows as you’d like. 

You may notice there are no headboards on dorm room beds. That allows for space between the bed frame and the wall that is the perfect size for your student’s pillows to be lost. We’ve found that placing a body pillow along the top or side of the bed fills those spaces and prevents sleeping pillows, or anything else, from slipping through.

Step 6. The Down Comforter and Cover

The kit includes our medium-weight, all-seasons comforter in twin size. It has baffle box construction to keep the down in place, and German cotton piping for strength and durability. Cover the down comforter with our classic fresh twin duvet cover or a cover of your choice, and button it closed at the bottom. Our down comforters can be washed and dried in dorm machines, if necessary. Your student should make sure to thoroughly dry the comforter to avoid the growth of mildew.

Bonus: The Canvas Duffel Makes a Great Laundry Bag

My son used the black canvas duffel for a laundry bag all year. We recommend sheets be laundered when they become soiled. Even if they don't appear to be soiled, they should be laundered weekly. We realize that may not happen when they're dressing up a college dorm room. At the end of the year, he packed his bedding back in the duffel and brought it home.

The bed is ready to go. Now, it’s time for your student to go meet their neighbors and get college started.

Read More:

5 Sleep Tips for College Students (They’ll Appreciate Someday)

College Students Need Sleep Now More Than Ever

About down etc:

For over twenty years, down etc has worked with hoteliers and professional housekeepers in hotels around the world to manufacture and provide pillows and bedding that will offer hotel guests memorably great sleep. Through our retail website, we seek to provide products that will result in the same quality sleep for our customers at home. We believe in the restorative power of a great night’s sleep, whether at home or away. That’s the reason down etc wrote the book on it, Roll Into a Perfectly Made Bed: All You Need to Know About the Art of Bedmaking.

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