subject: Selecting The Right Dorm Room Bedding [print this page] Going away for college is a very exciting time, but it takes plenty of preparation. Every college student will need a lot of supplies, and finding everything can be a bit of a challenge. One of the biggest challenges is often finding the right bedding for the dorm room. A dorm room is traditionally a small space and requires efficiency as well as a unique style to make the room feel like home. It's not the dorm room itself that is hard to outfit, but the bed. A dorm room bed is a unique size and finding the right bedding can often be a challenge.
Typically dorm rooms feature twin beds, but these twin beds are extra long. Because of the length of the mattress you will need to find sheets that can accommodate an extra long sized bed. The specific items that you are going to need are a mattress pad, a feather bed (if desired), twin sheet sets, and a twin comforter. All of these must be twin XL sized bedding pieces. However, you need to be aware that they may be labeled as XL Twin, Twin XL, Twin Extra Long, or Extra Long Twin. Any of those labels will indicate that you have the right size in hand to accommodate a dorm room.
What does the "extra long" mean? This type of bedding has five extra inches in length to accommodate the length of the mattress. The sheets will also have less depth to them because most of the mattresses on dorm room beds are not as thick as a traditional mattress.
When choosing dorm room bedding you will want to think about a couple of factors. First of all you want to be sure that you choose sheets that are easy to launder. College students may be doing their own laundry fro the very first time so you want to be sure that their sheets are easy to clean.
You should also consider the climate of the university or college. The climate of the local area might dictate you bedding choices. For example, if you are attending the University of Alaska, you will need different sheets and comforters than you would if you were heading to Arizona State University. It might be necessary to buy several different types of sheets sets because of the changing season. In the winter months you might want a set of flannel sheets to keep you cozy and a set of cool cotton sheets for the spring months.
Style of course is important to most college age students, and you should have fun in your selection. While you may want to keep your roommates style choices in mind you can also use your bedding as a method of expressing yourself. However, try to choose something that will stay with your for your time in the dorms. This can be anywhere from one to four years. Generally after your time in the dorms you will not have a need for extra long bedding so you only want to buy it once. Steer clear of very timely patterns and styles. Instead, choose something that is both fun and timeless.
