The Ultimate First Apartment Checklist

The first apartment checklist is simply a list of things to organize and purchase before moving into your new home.

From hiring movers to buying furniture, moving is not cheap.

First Apartment Checklist Room by Room

If you don’t have any furniture yet, our list will help you to get started. We will guide you on things you will need for your first apartment, addressing it room by room.

If you already have some furniture that you want to take with you to your first apartment, then you should organize a removalist company early in the process.

Essential Items for Your Bedroom

You can also refer to this part of the list as bedroom essentials.

The most important thing to be seen in any bedroom is the mattress and the bed frame. Once you move into your first apartment, this should be the first thing to acquire for your bedroom.

It’s also significantly costly, so it should be one of the first things to buy for your first apartment. If you are running on a budget and focus on other (less important) things first, you may not have enough cash to get your mattress and bed frame. This also means that it’s very likely you will be sleeping on the floor or sofa.

Get other things for your bedrooms, such as bed sheets, duvet, mattress cover, and pillows to make your bed more comfortable. You should also budget for a dresser/nightstand. They can come as a set or separately.

Also, get curtains for your bedroom. This should be your most private space in the apartment. Get hangers for the closet in your bedroom as well. Leaving your clothes in your luggage doesn’t make your bedroom look homely.

Checklist for Your Living Room

One of the most important things to consider for your living room is the seating. You should go for seating that’s functional and comfy at the same time. Instead of going for a conventional couch, a futon will do. A futon can double as a bed and as a couch/sofa.

A futon in your sitting room is good news for your guests who will be sleeping over. So unless you don’t get visitors, you can go for the traditional couch.

You’ll also need a coffee table for your apartment. When serving drinks to guests or having a house party, you need somewhere to put the drinks, right? It also adds character to your sitting room. Also, you should consider acquiring a television and a tv stand.

You may not be really into television, but it can be a source of entertainment for your guests. So, if you will be having a lot of friends over, television is a great addition.

Things You Need for Your First Bathroom

Your bathroom won’t need much, though. Get a shower curtain, toilet paper, a toilet paper holder, soap, bath towel, and liners/hooks for your shower curtain. You can also acquire shampoo and other bathroom essentials.

Also, you should get a first aid kit for your bathroom cabinet.

Essential Items for Your Kitchen

You might need bar stools to furnish your kitchen or kitchen table and chairs if you want to sit down for your meals in the kitchen.

Find out if your new kitchen already has a fitted kitchen or if you still need to buy a cooker and fridge. These items will not be cheap so it would be better to find that our as early as possible.

You should also talk to the landlord about the water quality. You may also need a water filter.

Smaller items are towels, pots and pans, a paper towel holder, and a dish drying rack. You will also need trash bags, hand soap, oven mitts, cutlery, and bowls for your kitchen in the new apartment.

Essentials for the Apartment in General

You will need beautifying items such as rugs, carpets, lamps, and wallpaper when it comes to decor.

Get some handy tools, such as a hammer and screwdriver that can help you put up wall hooks in certain areas in the apartment. You will also need nails to attach these hooks to the wall.

You might want to assemble furniture or a bookshelf and so on. It will suck if these handy tools are absent in the home. So they’re necessary acquisitions.

A list of general essentials for your apartment should include:

• Screwdriver
• Duct tape,
• Light bulbs
• Wall hooks, anchors, and nails
• Side stool or step stool
• Power extensions and adaptors
• Measuring tape
• Hammer

Another acquisition should be a laundry basket for your dirty clothes. It should be situated inside your wardrobe closet or beside it. If your apartment has a utility room, you can put it there beside your laundry machine.

Cleaning Supplies

Trying to clean and move into your apartment on the same day can be too much work and stress. Your cleaning supplies should be the first things you should get, and they should be in an accessible area, preferably close to your kitchen.

You can use white vinegar to wipe surfaces in the home instead of a surface cleaner. Vinegar does the job just as effectively and doesn’t have any of the harsh chemicals contained in the surface cleaner.

A list of cleaning supplies will include:

• Broom and dustpan or vacuum cleaner
• Mop
• Trash bag
• All-purpose liquid soap
• Sponges
• Dishwashing soap
• Hard brush or scrubs

Check if your house has a laundry room with a shared washing machine. If not, you may need to get yourself a washing machine too.

Safety Checklist

You should have safety devices installed in your apartment. Some apartments may already have devices such as smoke detectors installed, but if that’s not the case, you should ensure you install one in your home. It will help you to detect a fire outbreak before it gets out of control. In addition, if you use cooking gas in the kitchen, then a smoke detector will be of immense value to you.

Also, ensure you have a fire extinguisher to put out any fire in the apartment and a detector for carbon monoxide.