Are you moving into your very own place for the first time? As it usually is the case with all firsts in life, there is too much excitement and too little forethought involved, so it’s fairly easy to make mistakes. When it comes to things you need for your first apartment, there’s no better way to make sure that you have everything you need than to follow a checklist.
But what belongs on such a list? We can help out with that part. Take a look at our little guide and make sure you have all the essentials for every room in your future apartment.
Kitchen Items Checklist: Everything You Need for Your New Cooking Area
Every kitchen tends to be full of small, easily forgettable stuff. Your new place requires basically everything you have now, so we sorted it out to make it easier to follow. You can add more stuff later as time goes by, but here are a few starter pack items for your kitchen:
- Pots
- Pans
- Baking tray
- Cutting board
- Glasses
- Mugs
- Plates
- Bowls
- Silverware
- Set of cooking knives
- Microwave
- Plastic containers for food
- Garbage bags
- Garbage can
- Kitchen furniture
Some other items will prove to be useful in particular situations, like oven mitts, bottle and can openers, silverware organizers, and a drying rack. Also, bring aluminum foil and plastic wrap. You’ll have to deal with a lot of waste when unpacking, so be sure that you have enough trash bags in the kitchen. Of course, if your new apartment doesn’t come fully furnished, you will likely need new major appliances, as well.
A Checklist of All Things Needed for the Bathroom
Make your bathroom functional by getting the necessities. Once you start unpacking after the move and enter an empty bathroom, you’ll need to get:
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Towels – different sizes
- Shower curtain and rings
- Toilet paper
- Toothbrush holder or case
- Laundry basket
- Soap
- Soap holder
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
- Body wash
- Wall hooks or some other place to store the wet towels
These are the essentials, but there are also toilet supplies that you can buy later: plunger, bathmat, and air fresheners, for example. You can get some scented candles to decorate the bathroom to your liking.
List of Items for the Living Room
Based on what you want your living room to look like, this particular part of the checklist can vary, but we can all agree on certain stuff. Those are:
- Sofa or a couch
- TV
- TV stand
- Lamps
- Bookshelves
- Coffee table
If you’re planning on moving furniture, you might as well learn how to pack Persian and throw rugs that can be a true addition to your living area. And when you figure out how to pack books for moving, you’ll be able to enjoy them in the comfort of your new nest.
Relocation is also a great way to realize what you actually need and what you can live without. Once you start arranging the belongings you’ll take to your future home, you can donate unwanted items and be sure that you have only useful things left by the time the packing starts.
There Are Tricks to Make Your Living Room Look Bigger
If you happen to have a smaller space that you want to use as a living room, there are clever tips you can apply to make it look more spacious. It’s all about arranging your furniture, using bright colors, decluttering, and placing mirrors so that they can reflect natural and artificial light. The room will instantly look bigger if it becomes more radiant.
Stuff You’ll Need for Your Bedroom
The final step is the space with the least chances of forgetting something – the bedroom. You basically have to have a bed, a dresser (or some other storage for your clothes), a lamp, hangers for the closet, a nightstand, and curtains for the windows. Measure the windows before you go shopping for curtains, though.
Get a Good Mattress for a Good Night Sleep
After you’ve finished furnishing all the other spaces, it’s time to make sure that you can have a good rest. You have to have something comfortable to sleep on, even if you don’t have a bed frame. You should also bring bed sheets, pillows, pillowcases, and a blanket.
Miscellaneous Things You Need for Your First Apartment
Of course, our list is far from over. You’ll also have to have a first aid kit and a small fire extinguisher, just in case. It’s also good to have a few extra light bulbs so that you don’t have to go out and buy them as soon as you move in. The same applies to extension cords and batteries. Get some pens, paper, and scissors; they always come in handy. Lastly, decorations are what will truly make the flat a home.
Don’t Forget the Basic Tool Kit
A basic tool kit is something that every home needs for some simple fixing, especially on the day you move into your place. Whether you want to hang a picture or fix a bookshelf, it’s good to have a starter tool kit that includes:
- A hammer
- Some nails
- Screwdrivers, both flat and Phillips-head
- Screws
Toilet and Kitchen Cleaning Supplies Are Also Among the Essentials
When you first enter the apartment, you’ll have to give it a good scrub. That’s why you have to have some cleaning chemicals at hand, such as:
- Laundry detergent
- Dish soap
- Disinfectant
- Multi-purpose cleaner
Don’t forget rags, sponges, dustpan, broom, mop, vacuum cleaner, and other cleaning supplies that will go to the storage area in your bathroom. Some paper towels will also come in handy because they’re cheap and easily disposable.
Moving With Professionals Will Relieve You From Stress
Moving is stressful, no matter if you’re moving your household or you require auto transport services, or maybe both. One of the ways to have a stress-free moving experience is to hire a professional relocation company. Even if your place is not move-in ready yet, you can use a company’s high-security storage unit up to a month for free. A storage unit is extremely useful if you want to leave your belongings there until you find the right apartment or finish renovating.
If your place is ready, the experienced team of movers can do all the packing and placing every item and box in the room that you want, so that you don’t have to carry anything by yourself. Just be sure the boxes are properly labeled so that you know which box goes where.
