6 Practical Ways to Avoid Getting Sick in Your Dorm

Heading off to college is an exciting change, but let’s be real: packed lecture halls, and tiny dorm rooms with a hundred other people basically turns campus into a breeding ground for whatever bug is currently making the rounds. Between the sleep deprivation, communal bathrooms, and low air circulation, it’s entirely too easy to get sick. While you can’t build an impenetrable bubble around yourself, you can take a few proactive, realistic steps to radically lower your exposure and keep your immune system from totally crashing. Here are 7 practical ways to stay healthy in your dorm this semester.

Medical Disclaimer: The suggestions in this post are intended to promote clean habits and help reduce the risk of common seasonal illnesses. They are not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or a guarantee against getting sick. Always consult a healthcare professional for specific health concerns.

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1. Set Up a True HEPA Air Purifier

Dorm rooms are notoriously stuffy, and low air circulation means airborne particles, viruses, dust, and lingering microbes just hang around in your space. The air inside small rooms can get stale fast. If left unchecked, it can easily cause more sickness to be passed along.

The best way to keep your space and air clean is to use a True HEPA air purifier and keep it running 24/7. A lot of people make the mistake of turning their purifiers off when they leave for class, but keeping it on all day—even when you’re out—is the secret to keeping baseline particle (aka viruses, dust, allergens) counts low. It constantly filters the room so that when you are sleeping or studying, the air is already clean. When I go out, I turn it onto the highest setting, and while I sleep, or in the room, I keep it on low.

This is one of the easiest ways to prevent sickness! I recommend either the Levoit or Honeywell HEPA air purifiers. I own and use both of these brands, and they’re very affective. Both of these are for smaller spaces like dorms and apartments, and are under $100. It is so worth the investment, and you can still use it when you move out.

Additional tips on best usages for your air purifer:

• Placement Matters: Give it at least a foot of clearance from walls or the back of a desk chair so airflow isn’t restricted. Place it relatively close to where you sleep or study, or in a central space.

• Leave It On Continuously: Treat it like a refrigerator—keeping it running on low or medium all day prevents allergens from accumulating while you’re out.

• Keep Up with Maintenance: Vacuum any hair or fuzz off the outer pre-filter every couple of weeks, and swap out the True HEPA filter every 6 to 8 months to maintain peak efficiency.

2. Practice Post-Class Nasal & Throat Hygiene

After a long day of sitting in crowded lecture halls or grabbing food in busy dining commons, your upper respiratory tract acts like a net for environmental dust, allergens, and germs.

The best way to protect yourself is to clear things out as soon as you get back to your room. Doing a simple saline nose rinse or a warm salt-water gargle is a quick, low-cost way to physically wash out trapped irritants before they turn into a full-blown tickle or cold.

This is one of the easiest daily habits to prevent sickness! I recommend grabbing a NeilMed sinus rinse bottle or an Arm & Hammer saline mist to keep right by your bathroom caddy or sink. You can also keep a little bit of salt there too, so you can make a warm salt water anytime. It is such a small habit, that makes a huge difference after a busy day on campus.

Additional tips on best usages for your nasal rinse, and gargle:

• Use Distilled or Boiled Water: Always use sterile, distilled, or previously boiled and cooled water for sinus rinses to keep things safe and clean.

• Clean the Bottle Thoroughly: Wash and air-dry your NeilMed bottle after every single use, and replace the bottle entirely every few months.

• Keep It Gentle: Don’t force it; let the saline flow naturally through your nasal passages, or keep your salt gargle warm and comfortable for 30 seconds.

• Never share your sprays: This is probably obvious, but in case, you didn’t know nasal sprays and rinse bottles should never be shared at all.

4. Keep Outdoor Germs Off Your Bed

Jeans, jackets, and public transit seats collect a microscopic museum of city dust, pollen, and bacteria throughout your day, and friends are going to come over and sit on your bed in a tiny dorm room.

The best way to protect your sleeping sanctuary is to never wear your outside day clothes straight onto your freshly made sheets, and keep a dedicated “sacrificial” throw sheet or large decorative cover over your comforter during the day. When guests come over, they sit on the cover. When it’s time to sleep, you simply strip it off and toss it aside so your actual bed stays pristine.

This is one of the easiest ways to prevent sickness and keep things clean! I recommend changing into clean loungewear the second you get home and keeping a cheap, washable throw blanket right at the foot of your bed.

Additional tips on best usages for your bed hygiene:

• Wash Sheets Regularly: Aim to wash your pillowcases every 3 to 4 days and your full sheet set weekly. Grab two inexpensive sets so you’re never stranded waiting on your sheets to dry, and can swap them easily.

• Designate Lounge Spots: If you don’t want a cover sheet, encourage friends to use your desk chair or a folding floor cushion instead of piling onto your pillows. Lowkey this is actually so hard though, because some people will just jump onto your bed without even thinking twice. So it might still be better to cover your bed!

• Keep your bags off the bed: You might have a habit of throwing your backpack, or jackets onto your bed. Try to refrain and put it on the back of a chair, or even have a designated place to put it. Often times, these items accumulate a lot of various things especially if you put your bags on the floor.

5. Keep Surfaces Sanitized with Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl)

From your desk and laptop keyboard to your phone screen and mini-fridge handle, high-touch tech and surfaces collect a surprising amount of daily grime.

The best way to clean them without wrecking your space is to keep a bottle of Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) spray on hand. HOCl is incredible because it literally kills everything—pathogens, bacteria, fungi, and viruses—on contact, yet it is completely gentle, non-irritating, food-safe, and leaves zero harsh chemical residue like traditional bleach or heavy synthetic disinfectants.

This is one of the easiest daily habits to prevent sickness! I recommend keeping an HOCl spray bottle right on your desk paired with a few microfiber cloths for quick daily wipe-downs.

Additional tips on best usages for your HOCl spray:

• Spray High-Touch Tech: Give your phone, laptop, or tablets, a quick mist after a long day of classes where you’ve been touching shared computers or door handles. (Your phone is such an important one to clean every time you get back into your room. I take a paper towel, spray the HOCL on that, and wipe down my phone).

• Check the Ingredients: Make sure you’re buying pure hypochlorous acid designed for surface safety, which is powerful enough to wipe out germs instantly while remaining gentle enough that you don’t even need to wear gloves. Briotech is one of the most trusted brands for HOCL right now.

• Stock up: My biggest tip is to buy the spray bottle, and the larger bottle, so you can easily refill it. Briotech uses specialized bottles that can preserve the HOCL, so instead of trying to find a different bottle, just use the ones that the brands already.

6. Keep a Electric Kettle on Hand for Constant Warm Water

Dry heating and air conditioning in dorms can quickly dry out your nasal passages and throat, compromising your body’s first line of defense against seasonal bugs, while running out to grab hot drinks gets old fast.

The best way to keep your respiratory lining protected and stay consistently hydrated is to have your own mini electric kettle right in your room. Boiling fresh water on demand makes it effortless to keep warm fluids with you at all times, keeping your mucous membranes moist and helping your body naturally fend off unwanted germs.

This is one of the easiest daily habits to prevent sickness! I recommend grabbing a compact, fast-boiling electric kettle for your dorm counter or desk setup. It is so worth the small investment, and you can still take it with you when you move out.

Additional tips on best usages for your electric kettle:

• Sip Warm Water Consistently All Day: Don’t wait until you feel thirsty—fill up an insulated flask or water bottle, right from your kettle and take steady sips throughout your study blocks.

• Watch the Wattage: Check your dorm’s official guidelines on small appliances first, and look for a compact, energy-efficient model that won’t trip breakers.

• Descale Periodically: Boil a mix of water and a little white vinegar every few weeks to clear out any mineral or hard-water buildup so your water always tastes fresh.

Additional Tips to avoid getting sick during the school year:

• Eat Regularly and Choose Nutritious Foods: Skipping meals or relying entirely on late-night convenience store snacks and dining hall junk food will tank your immune system fast. Keep simple, nutrient-dense options on hand to keep your energy and defenses up.

• Prioritize Consistent Sleep: Late-night study sessions and hanging out in the common room until 2 AM will catch up to you. Try to sleep early and keep a relatively consistent sleep schedule so your body has time to actually recover.

• Keep Stress in Check: Burnout and exhaustion are huge triggers for getting sick. Build in downtime, don’t overcommit to too many clubs right away, and give yourself permission to rest when your body feels run-down.

• Wash Your Hands Constantly: It sounds basic, but hitting the sink with soap and water the second you get back to your room—especially after touching shared door handles, elevator buttons, or library computers—is your absolute best defense against catching whatever is going around campus. It’s helpful to also keep hand sanitizer on you too.

• Wear a Mask: Yeah no one enjoys wearing a mask, but if you’re in a crowded class room, or take public transit where it exposes you to lots of people regularly. Wearing a mask is one of the easiest ways to prevent viruses from entering your body.