The Complete Renter’s Guide for Apartment Essentials
Must-Have Essentials for Your New Apartment
If you’re moving into a new apartment, it’s time to get organized. Reduce your household clutter, donate unneeded clothing, and replace old or broken items. Then, make sure that you’ve got everything you need to quickly turn your new apartment into a comfortable and well-equipped home.
Must-Have Items for a Clean and Organized Apartment
Everyone’s needs are different, but there are a number of basic items that most renters find necessary. Before moving into your new home, make a checklist of everything you need and be sure to include these apartment essentials.
Under-the-Bed Storage
Compared to a house or a condo, there’s usually less storage space in an apartment. Using containers under the bed allows for storage of items like off-season clothing, opening up more space in your closets and dresser. Check out cubes, drawers, and shoe bins designed specifically to slide under a bed.
Closet Organizers
If your closet is small, some creativity is called for to get the most out of your space. To make the magic happen, closet organizers are simple items that make a big difference.
Organizers such as flexible hanging shelves allow you to maximize your closet area and make the most of your small living space. Turn your closet into a geometric marvel, with various storage units stacked, hanging, and layered to use up as much space as possible.
Extra Bathroom Storage
Apartment bathrooms are often small spaces with limited shelf-space. If the provided cabinetry doesn’t suffice, consider purchasing an over-the-toilet storage rack to open up more space.
Cleaning Supplies and Deodorizers
Apartments can quickly become dusty and dirty. Designate a closet or kitchen cabinet for cleaning supplies such as:
- Surface cleaners
- Dustpan and broom
- Mop and bucket
- Multi-surface wipes
- Kitchen-safe stainless steel cleaner
- Vacuum
Because apartments are small spaces, odors can quickly spread throughout the whole unit. Keep a few types of deodorizers on hand, like:
- Odor absorbers for bathrooms
- Fabric refresher spray for dirty laundry
- Room spray for common areas and bathrooms
- Candles or wax melters
- Plug-in fragrance releasers
- Pet-safe odor eliminators if you have pets
If you prefer an old-fashioned approach to household cleaning tasks, keep some baking soda and vinegar around. These two products, alone or in combination, can work as laundry stain removers, odor eliminators, weed killers, and much more.
Laundry Transportation
Depending on your unit, you might need to travel to a common laundry room or laundromat to wash your clothes. Have the appropriate laundry baskets or bags to make those trips as comfortable and efficient as possible.
Snow and Ice Removal Gear
Most apartment managers provide basic salting and snow removal for walkways and parking areas. To remove snow and frost from around your car, keep your own snow shovel and a brush/scraper tool. Purchase some supplemental ice melt salt if you want to make sure your front porch area stays safe for walking on.
Area Rugs and Protective Floor Coverings
Area rugs make vacuuming easier and preserve your floor’s shiny finish. Rugs also improve your home’s acoustics by absorbing sound. This effect provides softer, less echoey sound in the home while transmitting less outdoor sound in through your floors.
The living room, bedrooms, and hallways are all spots that benefit from adding an area rug or other floor covering.
Appropriately-Sized Furniture
Ask the property manager for a printout of your apartment unit’s dimensions. This will help you to select furniture that’s appropriately-sized for your apartment. Measure your door frames before furniture shopping to make sure that your purchases will fit through your doorways.
Wall Storage
Using wall storage solutions like hooks and shelves opens up more floor space, helping your apartment to look and feel more roomy and functional. Some hooks can be hung on doors or attached with adhesive strips to avoid any drilling or wall damage.
Ready to Make the Big Move?
If you’re looking for a new home in the Albany region, the Rosetti Properties team would love to help you find it. For over 50 years we’ve owned and managed residential and commercial properties in the New York Capital District.
To find the perfect apartment, get started by viewing our residential listings. To schedule a tour, contact us any time.