Ten Apartment Must-Haves Before You Move In
While you always want to leisurely add furniture and decorations to your apartment, there are some things essential to have on move-in day. Follow the list below to ensure you have all your bases covered in your new apartment.
First Aid Supplies
It may sound silly, but if not for your sake, you should have first aid supplies for your guests. First aid is always needed at the most inconvenient time, so it’s imperative to have a kit prior to moving in. No one wants to sacrifice a towel or shirt for a cut that won’t stop bleeding. Keep your first aid kit somewhere it can be found easily in your apartment and ensure you have plenty of band-aids, gauze, medical tape, antibiotic ointment, and perhaps burn cream at all times.
Cleaning Necessities
It’s standard procedure for the former tenant to clean the apartment for the next, but not everyone has the same concept of “clean.” A simple way to feel more at-home in your new apartment is to give it a healthy cleaning. Even if it isn’t too dirty, when your quarters smell like your cleaning supplies, it will make you more comfortable hanging out in your apartment. You will want to have everything you need so you can clean the entirety of the apartment, but chiefly the kitchen and bathroom. Supplies to double-check and make sure you have are floor cleaner, surface cleaner, disinfectant, a vacuum or broom, shower cleaner, and glass cleaner. Hand soap, laundry detergent, laundry basket, and dryer sheets are good to have on hand so you can clean immediately.
Tools
You probably won’t have to be responsible for any repairs, thankfully there is a maintenance team that does all that, but you can’t go wrong staying strapped with a few basic tools in your apartment. A tape measure will come in handy when you need to see if a piece of furniture will be able to fit through your door, and a screwdriver will allow you to change out the hardware on your kitchen or bathroom cabinets.
All Things Kitchen and Cooking
You will inevitably spend a lot of money over the course of your move. The best way to cut back on expenditures is to hit up the local grocery store and cook at your apartment. One meal eating out costs as much as two if not three meals made at home. It’s vital to have everything you need to be able to cook at your apartment. If you sold all your kitchen supplies or if you have never had to purchase supplies before, give the local thrift stores a chance and score perfectly fine pots, pans, and other kitchen accessories for the low!
Storage
Space will always be something to keep in mind when living in an apartment. You really can’t have too many storage solutions to keep your apartment ship-shape. Any unused space should be designated for storage. It may be difficult to find, but you may just have to get creative. Untapped storage space is usually under the bed, over-the-door hooks, and vertical space, you can always “go up with stuff.” The best storage is most often innovative and outside-the-box, so don’t get discouraged and keep your eyes peeled for all storage possibilities.
Power Strips
“I love this apartment but there isn’t enough power outlets.” Sound familiar? This dilemma plagues every apartment tenant ever. Fortunately, it’s super easy to work around. Purchase a few power strips for yourself and space them around the apartment so they’re not all drawing power from the same fuse. If you can, purchase surge-protected power strips so you don’t accidently blow a fuse, even if you do have the strips spaced out. The ideal power strips are smart, surge-protected power strips. Not only do these power strips keep your fuses from blowing, they keep the electric bill down, too.
Wall Hooks
In this day and age, wall hooks are more important than a hammer and nails. Wall hooks can really be placed anywhere around the house, but will come in most handy around the front door, kitchen, and bathroom. Wall hooks can keep all keys accounted for, miscellaneous kitchen items that would otherwise get lost and piled up in a drawer nice and tidy, and, most importantly, keep your towel off the floor of the bathroom and bedroom.
More Light
An apartment with abundant natural light and no need for extra lighting is practically unheard of, but not impossible. If you can find it, more power to you, but most people don’t have the luxury. It’s super easy to light up your apartment without clashing your design theme. You can find lamps of all styles and string lights in any color to help set the mood. Similar to a first aid kit, you want to be ready for anything, and if the power goes out, keep a few boxes of matches and candles around so you won’t be stuck trying to maneuver your apartment in the dark!
Multi-Function Furniture
Multi-function furniture is the greatest way to optimize the space in your apartment. You may not have thought of it, but a hollowed ottoman that can hold blankets and pillows is an example of multi-function furniture. If you have ever slept on a sofa-sleeper; a couch that pulls out into a bed, you have used a piece of multi-function furniture! The list goes on and on, but the more furniture you find with more than one function, the more space you will create in your apartment.
Personal Additions
Once settled in, you should consider customizing your apartment. This is one of the reasons people look forward to having their own place! Use those damage-free wall hooks from before and hang a large piece of art on the wall. You can even use them for hanging posters of your favorite musicians, actors, or writers. Try to add decorations that express who you are, your guests will take a look at your decorations and base their first impression off of it. Sterile, white walls will make your apartment feel like an asylum. So whatever you do, add something that reflects who you are, as something is better than nothing, but too much is worse than too little, as it will appear as “clutter” and not “decorations.”
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