Getting Ready For University with Dunelm

The autumn weather is starting to make an appearance, and with it brings my favourite season. A season for fresh starts, colourful leaves, crisp winter air, and of course - getting ready for university. When it comes to shopping for things to fill your new accommodation, it can be quite easy to go overboard and waste money on items that will be left unused by the end of the year. With every box that gets packed up, it's easy to get carried away when deciding what you really need to take with you. It's important to make your flat look homely, but you do need to be logical and think about what you can actually fit in your car. So when Dunelm got in touch offering to help me get ready for my final year at university, I jumped at the chance! I've teamed up with Dunelm and three other bloggers, and we have each picked our student essentials from one section of their killer checklist, so freshers know exactly what they need to take with them!

I was given the cleaning section of the checklist, and I think it includes some really simple items that people often forget. I'd suggest leaving bin liners until you've moved in as you could buy them as a flat, same goes for an iron/ironing board - you won't need 6 irons! My university provided these, and I only ever saw them get used about a dozen times. Coathangers are a must unless you want to store all your clothes on the floor, as universities don't usually provide them. A clothes airer is an essential, because it saves money when doing your laundry - you don't have to pay to use the tumble dryer! From the cleaning section, my three essentials are:

Towels // Everybody needs plenty of towels to take with them to university, and you will be surprised at how versatile they can be. Besides the obvious, you can use towels to make a makeshift ironing board, as a draft excluder, as an extra blanket in the winter months (trust me, student accommodation gets cold), or even as a tablecloth for a christmas dinner with your flatmates! I took two bath sheets, 2 hand towels, and 7 flannels with me when I first moved away. Looking back, I wish I'd have taken more bath towels with me as it would have saved me a few trips to the laundrette, but these things come with experience. And when you pay per load, it makes sense to fill the machine as much as possible! When picking out some towels to feature, I couldn't decide which to get! Dunelm has so many different colours and patterns! In the end I mainly opted for the Egyption Cotton Towels in 'Lagoon' as they match my bathroom perfectly! But 'Cornflour', 'Duck Egg', and 'Grape',' also made it into my basket in flannel form! In terms of quality these towels are so soft and luxurious - I will definitely be buying my towels from Dunelm in the future! 

Bath Mat // I can't speak for other halls of residence, but the showers in my first year halls were notorious for flooding. Every time you'd take a shower, the whole bathroom floor, and some of your bedroom carpet would be soaked! So a bath mat is a must! I'd recommend taking two, to give time them to dry out between showers. Plus a funky bath mat allows you to add your own personal touch to a plain white bathroom. I picked the Bobble Bath Mat in 'Lagoon' to match the towels I'd picked out, but again there were so many to choose from! The simple bobble design makes it extra absorbent for those little flooding emergencies too! Plus, the bobbles are so squishy, it feels like you're walking on air!

Laundry Basket // When I first moved to university, I didn't think about buying a laundry basket, and it was only when I arrived that I realised that I didn't have one. I'd wanted to pick up this cotton rope laundry bag, because of its simple design and practicality - the collapsable design allowing you to fold it away for moving day, or when you have friends over to stay. But when I got into the store, it was out of stock, but whilst walking round the Curver Knit Basket caught my eye. They had a couple of different sizes and colours, but I picked up the 30 litre size in 'Blue'. The two sturdy handles make it perfect for lugging to the laundrette across campus, plus, you can use it to transport things in when the time comes to move out!

In the end, I also picked up a few bits from the Geo Skandi tableware range. Although my kitchen is full to bursting, the matching mugs, plates, and bowls were too hard to leave behind! I couldn't choose a colour, so I picked up one of each to mix and match! Plus, they were all reasonably priced, so if any of your roommates happen to drop something on the floor they are all easily replaced without burning a hole in your purse.

What are your student essentials for back to school season?

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This post contains products sent to me for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here.